iShakespeare
by KWilson
Summary: What happens when Sam is threatened with expulsion and Freddie makes a promise that he really doesn't want to keep? Will Shakespeare play matchmaker 400 years after his death? SEDDIE! Shakespeare translations included
1. Blackmail

**Hello my fellow fanfiction readers! This is my second fanfic so please review to tell me your favorite part or what I can do to make it better!**

**Bold is flahback and **_i__talicised is thoughts._

**If I owned iCarly, iBeat the Heat would be sooner. :(**

Principal Franklin POV- 6:00AM Day 1

I sighed heavily, looking at another pair of Gibby's ruined underwear, courtesy of one Samantha Puckett. Not that anyone called her Samantha. No, it was a death wish to call Sam by her full name. I sighed again when I looked at my schedule for today. I had five meetings, four of which were with concerned parents that worried for their child's safety around Sam. I couldn't exactly blame them, considering all that she had done to traumatize their children. I had to do something, anything to stop this. A rapt knock on my office door and I looked up in confusion. School didn't start for another hour and I couldn't imagine who would want to speak to me this early on a Monday morning.

"Come in." I called politely, leaning back in my chair. One of my favorite students walks through the door. She hesitates behind one of the chairs and I can tell she's nervous.

"Principal Franklin, I have an idea to stop Sam." Her words were like an answer to my prayers, so I motion for her to sit down and I lean forward in my chair attentively.

"Explain." I encourage her when she pauses awkwardly.

"Well, I know why Sam's been acting worse than usual lately." She says, gaining a little confidence. I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

"You do?" My curiosity grows when she nods her head in confirmation.

"Sam has a huge crush on Freddie but she still thinks that he likes…someone else. Only, I've been watching Freddie and I'm sure he likes Sam back. Not that either of them will ever admit it. I have a plan, even an excuse that you can give her as to why she has to do this." She tells me. I look at her in shock, trying to process.

"Sam and Freddie? Are you quite sure?" I question her. It would be beyond disastrous if anything went wrong. I didn't see how, but Sam could possibly get in even more trouble than she does now.

"Believe me, I'm sure." She smiled at me and I found myself smiling back.

"I'm listening."

Sam POV- 12:00PM Day 1

I leaned against my locker during lunchtime, listening to Carly babble on and on about her date with Griffin last night. I did my best to keep up, but I just wasn't the type of person that could listen to girl talk for hours on end.

"Samantha Puckett to the principal's office. Samantha Puckett to the principal's office, please." A nearby loudspeaker blared to the whole school. I pushed off my locker and crack my knuckles in anger. Carly sighs and puts her hand on her hip.

"What did you do now?" she asks, somewhere between amusement and frustration. I shrug my shoulders noncommittally. This week, I had given Gibby that Texas Wedgie, egged Mr. Howard's house, rigged water balloons to splash the choir during their performance, purposely set off a chemical stink cloud in chemistry, pantsed Freddie in front of the entire cheerleading squad and broken Ms. Briggs bagpipes. At least, that was all I could remember that I had done this week.

"What haven't I done?" I say, turning my back to her and walking towards the office. "See you later, Carls!" I call to her, still upset. I stroll into the office like I own the place and make a beeline for Cindy's desk. I slam my hands, palms down, onto her desk. She jumps and turns white when she sees me.

"C-can I help you, Sam?" she stammers nervously, I barely hold back a grin. Oh, she knows exactly what she has done wrong. I lean closer to her, narrowing my eyes.

"Oh, so now I'm Sam? Not Samantha?" I spit out the name in contempt. It was common knowledge that I hated my real name, and the few that dared me to call me by it didn't exactly get on my good side. Case in point, the choir director had called me Samantha last week. Seeing his entire choir pummeled with water balloons right in the middle of their recital had been my revenge. A smile almost twitched across my lips at the memory.

"I have to call you by your full name when calling you up to the office. It's the school rules!" Cindy pleads her case desperately. She had defiantly heard about the choir incident. I slam my palms down on her desk again.

"I suggest you speak with Principal Franklin about changing that rule." I say, allowing the slightest hint of menace to color my tone. She looks away, intimidated.

"I'll talk to him." She agrees, breathing a sigh of relief when I back off. I startle her by showing off my most stunning grin.

"Thank you, Cindy." I say sweetly as I slide my hands off of her desk. I turn my back on her and walk into Principal Franklin's office without knocking. He leans back in his swiveling desk chair when I walk in. I rest one of my hands on the leather chair in front of his desk, throwing my backpack on the ground.

"Sup." I say, jerking my chin up as I settle into the leather chair. Principal Franklin looks at me sternly and taps his pencil on his desk.

_I should have brought Carly!_ I curse myself for not thinking ahead.

"Sam, it has come to my attention that over the last few months you have gotten in trouble much more often then you usually do." He tells me this like it's some great big bombshell. I shrug my shoulders, unaffected. I was dealing with a lot of chizz that caused me stress, so of course I got in more trouble now. He looks confused by my acceptance of his statement. "Do you have any idea why you have gotten in more trouble lately?" he prompts me. I glare at him icily and he flinches. He regroups quickly and stares at me, expectant. I roll my eyes.

"I'm just dealing with a lot of chiz right now, okay?" I say unwillingly, knowing that the memory that still haunts me will come to me. I barely contain a shudder as it all comes back to me and I have to live it again.

**Flashback**

**I walk down the hallways at Ridgeway, miserable. I had felt terrible ever since Carly had burst out of Freddie's apartment, panicked, and told me that she had kissed him. A few days later, it became official. I wasn't sure why it upset me so much, but the idea of Carly and Freddie had always repulsed me. I force a grin as I see Freddie and Carly through a mob of people.**

"**Well, good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Benson." I teased them. I really hoped they couldn't see how much I wanted to throw up with just how WRONG it seemed. Freddie would defiantly look better with someone who didn't look like his sister.**

"**Sam!" Carly protests, rolling her eyes.**

"**Stop." Freddie says, readjusting his crutches. The school bell rings and students head towards their classrooms.**

"**Oh, second bell!" Carly says, leaning over to kiss Freddie. A terrible feeling rips through me, making me want to drop kick Carly. If I didn't know better, I would say it was jealously. But why would I be jealous of Carly? She had an (admittedly) hot tech nub as a boyfriend. Yes, Freddie had become a guy that I considered hot, but we were just friends. For some strange reason, the thought of Freddie and I as just friends upset me way more than it should. "See you after class!" Carly tells him, walking towards her history class. A hiss escapes my teeth and I feel that insane jealously rip through me again. Why didn't I get to see Freddie after class? Whoa, wait a sec. Why would I want to see Freddork after class?**

"**Yeah, savor it." I tell Freddie as we watch her walk away. He looks at me in confusion.**

"**Savor what?"**

"**The love." I turn and give him an annoying head bob. "The Carly love." Freddie looks at me in amusement.**

"**Jealous?" he accused. I wanted to deny it so bad but, oddly, I was jealous. Why the hell would I be jealous of Carly? She was going out with….Oh, chiz. I look at him in fake disgust.**

"**Gross." I pray he'll buy it. Oh, chiz. Oh, chiz. How the hell did this happen? Somehow, I had a crush on FREDDIE BENSON! It was unthinkable, impossible but I did. Damn it.**

**End of Flashback**

"I recommend that you join an after school club to take your mind off things. In fact, I have the perfect one." He hands me a pamphlet for the Drama club. I take one look at the cheesy showbiz cover before responding.

"No way!" I refuse and he gets a steely glint in his eye that I haven't seen before.

"You will do this, Sam. If you don't I'll expel you for your behavior." His voice is stern. I look at him in shock. I didn't think principals were allowed to threaten like this.

"But…that's black mail!" I accuse him. He raises an eyebrow and looks at me with cool detachment.

"It's more like a second chance. Any other principal would have expelled you by now. One more detention and I will expel you." He disagrees, threatening again. I groan, trying to avoid looking at the cover of the stupid pamphlet.

"Fine, I'll do it." I agree and he smiles warmly. I smack my hand over my eyes and groan again.

**Please review because it makes me write faster, no joke! Thanks for reading!**


	2. Ms Esposito Meets Romeo

**Here's Chapter 2! Enjoy!**

Principal Franklin POV- 12:15PM Day 1

Sam groaned again and brought her hand to cover her eyes. I barely hold back a laugh at her overreaction. A few minutes later, she finally collects herself and leans forward in her chair, looking at me with icy blue eyes.

"So, do I have to go meet the drama teacher or something?" She asks grouchily, her eyebrows meshing together. I think carefully for a minute. After school, all the kids are coming for tryouts for the play. It's just too bad that three of the spots are already fixed.

"After school tomorrow, go to the theater to meet Ms. Esposito." I feel terrible not telling her, but I'd like to keep my head on my body, thank you very much. Besides, Ms. Esposito deals with plenty of fake angry kids all the time. I'm sure she can handle telling Sam. I should still probably keep security on call, not that they would be able to do much. No, it would be fine. I continue to reassure myself feebly as Sam nods and stalks away angrily. Nope, there's no way that I'm going to be the one to tell her.

Sam POV- 7:00PM Day 1

"So then he tells me that he'll expel me if I don't join the drama club! Expel me!" I rant to Carly who, unlike me, is an excellent listener. She sighs and gives cries of protest in all the right parts of my tirade against Principal Franklin. When I finally stop and collapse onto the couch next to her, she looks at me sympathetically.

"So, what are you going to do?" she asks gently. I sigh and turn to look at her.

"Well, I can't get expelled. I guess I'll just have to do it." I decide. Carly's expression is torn between happiness and sympathy. I frown at her.

"Why are you so happy about all of this?" I demand curiously. She looks at me, almost hurt.

"Don't you remember that I told you that I was trying out for the play this year?" she asks, upset. I struggle to salvage the situation.

"Uhh..yeah. Sounds like a lot of fun! What play is it again?" I say, doing my best to cover. She looks at me, exasperated.

"Do you not remember me telling you all of this?" Carly rolls her eyes, obviously annoyed. I shrug and look at her innocently.

"I do my best, but you girl talk so much it's hard to keep up." I defend myself. Carly shakes her head in amusement more than annoyance.

"Oh, whatever. What are you going to try out for?" Carly frowns. "It was weird. Both of the leads were already 'reserved'." She uses air quotations around reserved and deepens her voice for emphasis.

"Wait, you already tried out?" I asked in confusion. Carly flips her hair over her shoulder before answering.

"Yeah, this afternoon. That's why I was late getting home." She tells me. I jump in the air and give a victory cry.

"YES! I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO BE IN THE STUPID PLAY!" I celebrate, dancing around the room. Remembering to be a good friend, I turn back to Carly. "So, what part did you get?" Her face lights up.

"Oh, I got the one I wanted. I'm Rosaline!" She says, bouncing up in down with excitement.

"Awesome! Let's go get smoothies to celebrate!" I high five her and pull her to her feet.

"Sam! Don't you even want to hear what the play is?" Carly asks, laughing.

"Not really." I say frankly, slamming her apartment door behind us.

Freddie POV- 3:30PM Day 1

I confidently walk down the aisle of the theater, thinking how perfect this was turning out to be. I stop at the sight of Ms. Esposito, the drama teacher, and patiently wait for her to finish talking to the girl on stage.

"No, no Ms. Sheridan! Did you not read the signup sheet? My leads are cast already! Now shoo, before I have you escorted off the stage!" She argues with the dark haired girl that is red with anger. The girl spins on her heel and, in true drama fashion, stomps off the stage. I step forward to greet the drama teacher and she looks up at me in surprise. Huge glasses that magnify her piercing green eyes twenty times their real size as they stare at me. She wears dark pants and an orange scarf is draped around her neck. Her accent is interesting, most likely Italian.

"Hi Ms. Esposito, it's a pleasure to meet you. The AV club sent me over here to set up the sound system. I'm Freddie Benson." I greet her politely. I was stoked to be trusted with the sound system. I know, I know. As Sam reminded me often, I was a total nerd. I shake my head, scolding myself. The last thing I needed to think about right know was the beautiful blond who was also my personal tormenter. The drama teacher's eyes light up in recognition and she swivels to her chair to face me.

"Ahh…it _is_ Mr. Benson!" she purrs, sizing me up. I look away, embarrassed by her stares.

"Uhh, I should probably get to the sound system." I tell her, trying to get away from her penetrating look. She looks at me in confusion.

"What are you talking about, my dear? The sound system is already set up! Besides, no male lead of mine would be working on anything backstage." She wags her finger at me, clucking her tongue. I stare at her, perplexed. She talks just as much, if not more, with her hands then her words.

"Male lead? No, Ms. Esposito, I'm only here to set up the sound system." I explain again. Ms. Esposito rolls her eyes, clucking her tongue again.

"I was told by Principal Franklin that you were going to be my lead, Mr. Benson. You can bring it up with him." She rises from her chair and begins to poke and prod my arms and chest. I finally pull away when she grabs my chin to inspect my face.

"I'm not going to be in your play." I tell her, careful to keep her away from me. I'm horrified when she breaks out into tears. I freeze as the little old lady begins to sob because of me.

"Ay me! Where else will I find such a perfect lead!" she cries over and over. I shush her, looking around at the scene she was making. Curious stares from every direction and a few people are heading towards us in concern. Hating myself for being the nice guy, I give in.

"Alright, alright! I'll be the lead!" I tell her, desperate for her to stop crying. She looks up at me, her eyes still teary.

"You promise?" she asks like a small child. I groan internally. Sometimes it really sucks to be the nice guy.

"I promise." I reassure her. She nods in satisfaction, immediately wiping her tears. Oh, chiz. I'm so stupid! Of course the drama teacher can cry on cue! I glare at her, realizing the trick.

"Oh, don't be mad my little chicken." She tells me, pinching my cheek. "You already are physically perfect for the part. Such face structure!" She says, gesturing at my body. "But I will make you act perfectly for the part. Don't you worry, my little chicken." She reassures me, pinching my cheek again. I roll my eyes and fold my arms across my chest.

"What part did I even volunteer for?" I demand, relieved when she stops pinching my cheek.

"Ay me! You don't know? So perfect for the part but you don't know? You are going to be my perfect male lead! You will speak and the words will be like honey off of your tongue! You will feel the pain, the hope, and the love! You are going to steal all the hearts of the little ladies!" She promises, painting the scene before me. I do have to admit that it looked pretty good. That is, until she finished. "Ay me! My perfect Romeo!"

**DUN DUN DUNNN!**

**Sorry about the ending...I JUST HAD TO DO IT! Yes, I made up Ms. Esposito and I love her! What do you think? Thanks for reading and please Review! The more reviews, the faster the next chapter cuz reviews are what motivates me!**

**Speaking of Reviews: Thanks so much to MultiSeddielover and Kpfan72491!**


	3. Promise

**Here's Chapter 3! It's kinda long but I wanted to give you all a good sized chapter. Pretty please, with a cherry on top, Review!**

Sam POV- 3:00PM Day 2

The last bell of the day finally rings and I breathe a sigh of relief. Racing to get out the door, I freeze when I remember where I have to go today and groan internally. Ugh. I hate this already. I drag myself to the theater and reluctantly push the door open. An elevated stage, rows thirty across and thirty deep filled the bottom floor of the auditorium. Plush red carpet and red velvet seats as far as the eye could see. I looked upwards, curious to see how high the ceiling was. Instead, I saw a balcony with at least fifty more of the red velvet seats. I had always heard that our theater was fancier than most high schools but this was incredible.

"It is beautiful, no?" An accented woman's voice from behind me said, making me jump. "Oh, do not be scared my little chicken." She pinches my cheek when I turn to face her. A sixty something lady with huge glasses and a pretty blue scarf draped around her neck stood in front of me. She can't possibly clear five feet and I tower over her.

"You're Ms. Esposito, right?" I finally say. I'm surprised that when she pinched my cheek, it didn't really bother me. I was starting to go soft already! I make a mental note to beat up Freddie at Carly's, where I won't get detention. Her eyes widen and suddenly she's jumping up in down in excitement, almost like a little kid at Christmas. I glance around the auditorium to see if I'm just imagining this. My eyes are immediately drawn to about thirty kids on the stage, all staring at us in shock. I turn my eyes back to the crazy old lady and suddenly she's grabbing my cheeks, my hair. Poking and prodding my arms and stomach and I'm still to shocked to do anything. I finally come to, gently slapping at her hands because I can't hurt this old lady even if I wanted to.

"Oh, I am sorry my little chicken but you are perfect! I always saw Juliet with blond, curly hair anyway! Dark hair, bah!" she clucks her tongue. "We can't have Juliet and Romeo look like siblings, can we?" She waves her hand dismissively and I stare at her uncomprehendingly. "Ahh I can already see it! The fair Capulet and the dark Montague, as different as night and day!" She jerks me down to her height and whispers so that only I can hear. "Yet they love each other more than anything else, no?" She lets me up and clicks her fingers at the nearest student. "Get me Romeo!" she orders, rolling the o in an odd way. I finally get an opportunity to speak.

"Look, I think there's been some mistake. I'm not even in this play. I just showed up here." I explain and the lady rolls her eyes and waves her hand dismissively.

"Ay me! You are in the play!" She pinches my cheeks again. "You are my beautiful Juliet!" It takes me a second to realize that she said Juliet because she pronounces it like the J is an H.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Ok, now I know you've made a mistake. I didn't even try out! This is my first day!" I tell her franticly. She waves her hand again.

"Pfft. Pish Posh! I will teach you and make you my perfect Juliet!" Her voice is high pitched with excitement. I'm about to protest again, but someone else speaks first.

"You wanted me Ms. Esposito?" Freddie asks, not noticing my presence. Not surprising since I've maneuvered myself behind a seat, unconsciously hiding from the people on stage. My heart picks up double time and my palms began to sweat just at the sound of his voice. Pathetic, absolutely pathetic.

"What are _you_ doing here, Benson?" I say sharply. Freddie jumps and turns to look for the source of the voice.

"Oh, hey Sam! Ms. Esposito called me and I was just wondering what she wanted." He turns back to the lady who looks like she's about to pass out. "Hey, what's wrong?" Freddie asks, worried. I move out from behind the seat and stand on his other side.

"Yeah, are you ok?" I'm surprised to find that I'm genuinely worried about this woman. She's already starting to grow on me. Her eyes fill with tears and she shakes with deep emotion. Freddie and I simultaneously reach out to touch her but instead our hands brush and sudden electricity passes through us. I pull away blushing, looking at Freddie's face to see that he's blushing too.

"YES!" Ms. Esposito suddenly shouts joyfully. Tears of happiness spill over and she can hardly contain her shaking.

"What?" Freddie and I ask at the same time. I turn to look at him and he stares back at me, unnerved. This whole thing is bizarre. Ms. Esposito continues her victory dance until I grab her hands, still waiting for an answer.

"It's just been so long since the two leads in my play have had such chemistry! You are perfect together, my chickens!" She pulls us into a three way hug, still jumping up and down. Knocking me into Freddie probably isn't the best idea because our faces are already tomato red. "Oh, my chickens! This is just wonderful! My perfect Romeo and Juliet!" her words are muffled and it takes us a second longer than usual to understand. I look at Freddie in panic when I finally absorb them.

"You're Romeo!" I cry out. This couldn't be happening! Of all the cute boys they had to pick they had to choose my best friend/enemy who I happen to have a crush on! My panicked look is carbon copied onto Freddie's features, but I'm sure his panic is for a completely different reason.

"Juliet." He whispers. We turn to face each other, everything else suddenly unimportant. Our eyes lock and we begin a silent conversation.

_What can we do?_ My eyes beg him, looking for some way out of this. He immediately pulls me into a hug to comfort me, something he wouldn't even think of doing usually. The worst part is that this hug isn't awkward or uncomfortable. As I cling to him desperately, I try not to think about the ordeal ahead. Instead, I'm distracted by how close we're pressed together. Close enough that when he rocks me back and forth to calm me, I can feel his heart racing in his chest. He smells good and I inhale deeply. Mmm…like cinnamon and vanilla. It was a very comforting smell, mostly because Freddie always smelled like this. I don't want to be the first to break the hug, but I really don't want people to think that I like him. Sure, I could admit it to myself, but I will never speak of it. Mostly because he will never give up on Carly and like me back. Also because a small part of me is too proud to admit it. I push him away and Freddie backs away cooperatively.

_We can't do anything._ His eyes confirm my thoughts. He leans down to whisper in my ear. When the chiz had he gotten so tall? Not like it was a bad thing, but I had been too busy staring at his face to focus on his height lately.

"It's okay, Sam. We'll figure something out." He straightens to see my response. I nod my head slowly, preoccupied with staring at his chocolate eyes.

_What the hell are you doing Puckett? Look away!_ I clear my throat and turn to face the stage. Thirty pairs of eyes stare at us in shock and all I want to do is disappear. I feel something solid and warm on my right side and I turn my head up slightly. Unconsciously, I had shrunk into Freddie to escape the stares. Barely containing a blush, I push away from him awkwardly. A wrinkled hand suddenly grabs me by my hand and jerks me forward.

"Come forth, my chickens! Opening night is only a month away!" Ms. Esposito says, pulling me with one hand and Freddie with her other hand. She leads us until we reach a desk with a small microphone, a desk lamp, and various papers. Her hand releases me but now she's pushing me toward the stage. I avoid the stares, looking at the ground to be sure not to trip. Steeling myself, I look around the suddenly huge stage. Carly walks towards me quickly, obviously upset. She places a reassuring hand on my arm.

"Are you okay, Sam?" she asks, worried. I nod mutely, screaming in my head that I am not in any way, shape, or form _okay_. Carly's eyes shift to something behind me.

"What about you Freddie?" I turn quickly at her words. Sure enough, he's right behind me, deep in thought. Most girls would be ecstatic at this turn of events. I mean to get to do a play that involved- I shuddered-kissing with your crush…. Except, for me, this was one of those worst case scenarios that are almost like waking nightmares because they scare you so much. The fact that it was Freddie that I liked was what made it so terrible. Freddie would always love Carly, end of story. I suddenly had an idea that just might help keep me sane. Without thinking twice, I grab Freddie's hand and pull him towards the backstage area. Trying to ignore how aware I was of Freddie by just touching his hand, I push protesting people out of my way. I needed to find a quiet place where we could talk. Freddie is surprisingly silent as I pull him along, accepting my tugging him along with good grace. I catch sight of a prop closet and feel relief pulse through me. I throw open the door and flip the light switch. Freddie closes the door quietly behind us and I push myself against the back wall as much as possible. Freddie stands less than a foot away, pushed against the door in a similar fashion as me. I'm filled with sudden annoyance with myself for picking the stupid prop closet. I fold my arms across my chest and look anywhere but at Freddie. Palpable tension flows between us and I try to sink deeper into the wall.

"So…" he finally says to break the ice.

"We both have to do this, right?" I ask him and he nods in confirmation. "I can't get expelled and you..." I trail off. "Why are you doing this?" Freddie chuckles under his breath.

"She tricked me into promising by crying." He tells me, his eyebrows scrunching together like he's trying to solve a difficult problem. I can't help but notice that he looks really cute with that face. I curse myself mentally, trying to sink deeper into the wall.

"What are we going to do?" He asks me, hoping I'll have a solution.

"Well, I do have one idea. I think it's really stupid, but it might work." I speak slowly, fidgeting with my hands. Freddie leans forward in interest and I promptly lose my train of thought. I shake my head and scold myself. "Well, if we have to stay in character here, it's going to be difficult to go back to fighting every day. Maybe we should call a temporary truce." I ask, feeling stupid. Freddie leans back onto the door again, thinking.

"I like it. I promise." He finally says approvingly.

"I promise." I whisper, trying not to remember the last time we promised something. I had broken that one the second I made it. I had never _hated_ Freddie, not really. He was just the perfect target for taunts and pranks. I curse myself for stirring up old memories.

"Let's go." He says, offering his arm. I laugh and take it gladly as we exit the closet. We walk back onto the stage a few minutes later, still laughing. Thirty pairs of curious eyes fall on us again and I groan. Carly comes over immediately, grabbing our joined arms and pulling us off to the side.

"Where were you two?" she hissed. We look at each other, a silent question. He raised his eyebrow and I nod.

"I was telling her about the play. She didn't read it freshman year when Ms. Briggs assigned it." He explains calmly. A flawless lie. Impressive, Romeo. Carly's expression softened.

"Oh. Well, here are your scripts." She says, shoving a huge stack of papers into each of our hands.

"They expect us to memorize _this_?" I ask, incredulous. Freddie flips through his and I see page upon page of just Romeo and Juliet.

"There's no way." He whispers in agreement. A bright spotlight suddenly comes on and blinds us. I flinch and shift my eyes to look at the floor, anywhere but the blinding lights.

"Narrator, you're on!" I hear Ms. Esposito's voice from the crowd. A short girl with long, dark hair steps forward to speak. For some reason, I find myself turning to stare up at Freddie.

**Did you like it? Did you hate it? Any theories about what's going to happen next? What was your favorite part? Did you not have a favorite part cuz it was so terrible?**

**Since I'm asking you so many questions for the review, I'll answer them myself!**

**I thought this chapter was okay, probably my favorite so far but future chapters I like even better. My favorite part was Ms. Esposito:**

**"Ahh I can already see it! The fair Capulet and the dark Montague, as different as night and day!" She jerks me down to her height and whispers so that only I can hear. "Yet they love each other more than anything else, no?"**

**I thought that was a pretty good Seddie comparison. Did you think that was a terrible Seddie comparison? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**


	4. Break A Leg

**Okay Chapter 4! Yay! Hope you guys like it! Review, it's for the children...**

**WARNING: This chapter does have some actual Shakespeare in it BUT I put a translation right beneath. Aren't I so thoughful? :)**

Freddie POV- 4:00PM Day 2

Jackie, a girl from my computers class, steps forward. I feel an irresistible pull and am forced to look down at Sam. Her chaotic blue eyes are filled with a dull fear, a fear that I also felt but for a very different reason. This play could tip the fragile internal balance that allows me to admire Sam from a distance and remain sane. Sam was just worried because she would have to act like she was in love with me. I'm trapped, staring into deep pools of blue, while Jackie speaks:

"Two households both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona wear we lay our scene

From ancient grudge, break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean:

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life:

Whose misadventure piteous overthrows,

Doth with their death bury their parent's strife.

The fearful passage of their death marked love,

And the continuance of their parent's rage,

Which but their childrens' end could naught remove,

Is now the two hours traffic of our stage.

The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to end."

_Translation:_

_The play is set in beautiful Verona, Italy. Two families of equal, noble rank have a long-standing feud; which has recently flared up when their followers kill each other. The children of these mortal enemies were fated to fall in love and their tragic deaths will end the feud._

I blink, the spell broken. Sam looks as stunned as I do and rubs her eyes with her hands. A strange sense of forbidding and fear fills me. Much as Romeo felt the first night he met Juliet, a sudden warning was to be found among Jackie's words. I take one look at Sam. Sam, the girl I couldn't let down because I like her more than I had ever liked Carly. Yet the forbidding is still with me, warning me. If I do this, Romeo isn't going to be the only person falling in love.

We finish at five o'clock, having done the first two scenes of Act I. Thankfully I haven't had any scenes with Sam yet. I hear light footsteps and smell the tiniest bit of strawberry. I don't have to look to see who it is.

"Where's Carls?" Sam wonders. I shrug, trying to discreetly stare at her. I hear whispers behind us and turn to see who it was. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

"Gibby?" I ask him. He looks up and smiles, extremely happy about something.

"I'm Mercutio! They even gave me a sword." He announces proudly. I nod my head in approval.

"Nice, Gibby!" He grinned and turned back to whispering with Shane.

"This is jank." Sam mutters to herself and I turn to face her, glad of an excuse to stare. "You and I as the leads, Carly as Rosaline, Gibby as Mercutio, and Shane as Benvolio." I nod in agreement.

"We do know a lot of them." I say faintly, my eyes lingering longer than was safe. Sam notices the difference in my tone and she looks up at me. I know I'm testing her promise not to fight with me when I don't look away. Sam doesn't look away either, instead searching my eyes. I don't know how long we stood like that, just studying each other. Carly's voice jolted me back to the present and I blinked, looking away in embarrassment.

"Hello? You two mind including me in your silent conversation?" she asks in amusement. "Let's go." Carly walks down the stairs off the stage and heads towards the auditorium door. Sam follows slowly and I try to keep some distance between us. The pull that draws me to her is growing stronger and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it.

Sam POV 12:18PM Day 3

I slammed my locker and leaned against it, covering my hands with my face. As sad and futile as it was, I had really hoped that it would fade away. The first few weeks after I had found out that I had a crush on Freddie had been tough but that had been my master plan. Buck up, Puckett. Sit back and let it fade away. I groaned and sunk deeper against my locker. Every day, every moment it had gotten harder to deal with. Yesterday had been my wake up call. My crush on Freddie wasn't going anywhere.

"Sam?" A girl's voice, not Carly, asked me. I jumped in surprise, allowing my hands to slide off my face. A girl with dark red hair stood in front of me, books propped against her hip.

"Sup, Wendy?" I ask tiredly, sinking back against the locker. Wendy looks at me, a mixture of pity and curiosity.

"Well, I had heard but I wasn't sure. Just wanted to double check before I start spreading rumors." She rambles on and I glare at her, impatient.

"Spit it out!" I interrupt rudely.

"Are you Juliet in this year's play or not?" Wendy blurts out, leaning forward in anticipation of my answer. I pinch the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes shut.

"Unfortunately, yes." I say dryly, opening my eyes again. She gaps at me in surprise for a second before reining in her reaction. She smiles at me slyly and I know what's coming next.

"Then what I heard about Freddie being Romeo is also true?" she asks and I close my eyes and groan again.

"Yes, Fredweird is playing Romeo." I'm already thinking about the repercussions of telling Wendy, the gossip queen of Ridgeway, this tasty tidbit of information. Sure enough Wendy gives me a hurried thanks and bounces towards the nearest group of girls, whispering excitedly. I groan again as they all turn to stare at me. Punching my locker, I walk away in frustration and try to ignore the stares burning holes in my back.

Freddie POV 2:30PM Day 3

Except for the giggly girls that whispered behind my back, today went pretty much the same as usual. I lean back in my chair, waiting for the final bell to let us out at any minute. This is my easiest class because Mr. Jones couldn't care less about his subject, ceramics. A few kids work on making bowls or vases, but most of us just sit and talk the whole period. The bell finally rings and I rise quickly to get out the door first. Instead of walking to my locker like usual, I head in the opposite direction. I pause at a doorway at the end of the hall, waiting. Sam emerges from her class and I fall into step next to her. She looks up at me in surprise and I cringe, waiting for the blow to fall. Instead, she stops in her tracks and I skid to a stop in front of her. Her crystal blue eyes are filled with a mixture of confusion and disbelief. I look back innocently and she resumes searching my eyes for something that she had also been looking for yesterday. A minute or an eternity later (I couldn't really tell you), Sam nods slowly in acceptance and pushes past the staring people that are becoming all too common. I jog to catch up, falling into step next to her again. We arrive at the theater and I hold the door open for her politely. I follow Sam up the stairs to the stage, careful to avoid touching her. Everything grew all too confusing when I touched Sam, even if just a high five or accidental hand brush.

"Go ahead and go over there." I say, motioning to the other drama girls. "I'll get our scripts." Sam looks up to smile wryly at me.

"Going to throw me to the drama queens so quick, are we?" she asks, raising one of her eyebrows for effect. I laugh and walk away, shaking my head. Backstage is a confusing mess of half painted **sets**, strange costumes, and flushed faces. I accidently bump into a few people because the space so narrow. I apologize quickly and try to get out of the suffocating hallway. I finally reach our prop closet, pausing in shock. Nothing can be OURS. I scold myself and pull open the door to retrieve the two scripts. I finally fight through the last of the people backstage and grin as I head towards Sam. She immediately turns when I start to walk towards her, almost like she's been watching for me. Her face lights up for a second before settling on a grin.

"Took you long enough!" she complains, the effect ruined by her playful smile. I feel the corners of my mouth pull up in response, handing her the script.

"I'm sorry I couldn't be faster, Princess Puckett." I apologize sarcastically. Sam bites back a laugh, shaking her head.

"Ahh, my chickens!" Ms. Esposito greets us, breaking us out of our own little world. She reaches up to pinch our cheeks and smiles cheerfully at us. "We are going to do Act I, scene three and then some of scene two today. Are we ready everyone?" She looks around the stage briefly, nodding in satisfaction. "Give me my Lady Capulet, Nurse, Servingman and-." She looks at Sam fondly, breathing her name. "Juliet." She turns to me and pats me on the shoulder just as fondly. "Romeo, you get to sit with me and admire Juliet." She looks at me knowingly and I blush, stammering a denial. Sam shakes her head but her cheeks are flushed. I stare after her in half amusement and half shock. Sam Puckett had actually blushed! I'm literally pulled out of my thoughts as Ms. Esposito drags me down the stairs of the stage and up the aisle to her desk. She forces me into a seat next to her before turning back to face the stage. "And, action!" she announces, her attention now wholly on the actors and actresses. I watch the scene closely, leaning forward when Sam begins to speak. Her voice was clear and vibrant with emotion as she traded words with the others. I blink when the scene ends, realizing that I had been staring at Sam the whole time. I grip my script tighter and stand as Ms. Esposito announces that the next scene requires me, Benvolio (Shane), and Mercutio (Gibby). I walk up to the stage, surprised when Sam brushes past me lightly. Her touch sends electric fire through me and I have to listen carefully to catch her words.

"Break a leg, Romeo, or I'll break it for you." She whispers softly. I grin and shake my head as she pulls away, smirking. I turn my back on her and prepare to speak.

**I'm so sorry reviewers from chapter 2! I forgot to thank you so I'm just gonna have to thank you now: Kpfan72491, Anonymous who signs with a smiley face, IronishRose, dothepepperminttwist, g.**

**And for my amazing reviewers from chapter 3: Kpfan72491, Anonymous who signs with a smiley face, xx-SamxFredde-xx, dothepepperminttwist, Midnight, cliche catastrophe, and MultiSeddielover.**

**Reviews make me smile and motivate me to edit (WHICH I HATE), so thank you all so much!**

**TO MULTISEDDIELOVER: You don't currently have Private Messenging enabled, so I left the instructions in a review to your story. :)**

**SO... How was this chapter? Completely awesome or completely lame? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My personal favorite line from the chapter: "Break a leg, Romeo, or I'll break it for you." Just so Sam...**

**Anyway, thanks so much for reading and *fingers crossed* reviewing.**


	5. Scapegoat

**Hey my fellow ****Seddiers****! Here's Chapter five! Enjoy and remember to review please!**

Sam POV 3:15PM Day 3

I took Freddie's seat next to Ms. Esposito and lean forward in anticipation as the scene begins. Shane and Gibby are surprisingly good speakers, words flowing off their tongues smoothly. Freddie is incredible, but I'm not sure if he's just better because of my…ugh...crush on him. His voice, low and firm but also allowing the words to flow off his tongue richly, echoes powerfully around the theater. I shake my head, disappointed with myself. I was barely worthy of the name Puckett anymore. I tried to look at something, anything else. Gibby or Shane, other actors and actresses, even the pattern of the carpet. Every time, my eyes darted back to Freddie, an irresistible pull attracting them. Finally, the scene ended and I breathe a sigh of relief. Ms. Esposito applauds loudly and many others join her enthusiastically. I stare at Freddie, unable to look away. His face was glowing happily and he looked amazing in the stage light. I roll my eyes, a sudden urge to punch myself. Hard. I put my script on Ms. Esposito's desk, burying my face in my hands for a second. Ms. Esposito dismisses us and I stand, waiting for Carly and Freddie to come from the stage. They were both laughing and it made me feel even worse than I already did. It was obvious, as easy as one plus one equals two; they did belong together. Anyone who thought differently was stupid or deluded, possibly both. Freddie looks up and catches my expression.

"What's wrong Sam?" he asks, placing his hand on my shoulder. I shake him off, looking at him with cold eyes. If I was being honest, I had a problem because he was becoming increasingly irresistible. From his stupid dork smile to his tech talk, he was pulling me in deeper each day. I hate him, hate him so much right now. My hands curl into dangerous fists, but somehow I control myself.

"Nothing." I hiss through my teeth, finally answering him. I whip around and leave the theater, knowing that Freddie and Carly will follow me. I storm outside, immediately blinded by the sunshine. I shield my eyes as I make my way to the parking lot where Spencer is supposed to pick us up. Carly runs to catch up with me, tugging at my arm.

"Sam, you ok?" she asks softly. I blink at her as all of the anger leaves my system. It wasn't really Freddie's fault that I had a crush on him, but blaming him gave me an easy scapegoat for anger that really should be directed at myself. I blink again, suddenly exhausted.

"Fine, Carls. I'm just…upset…with myself." I say, struggling for the right word. Carly nods like she understands, but she doesn't have a clue.

"Do you want me to tell Freddie not to come over?" she asks me gently and almost carefully, like I might be fragile enough to break at any moment. I nod, seizing the opportunity. Carly pulls out her cell phone and begins to dial. I'm not really paying close attention, instead watching the clouds and thinking. I'm not usually one to avoid pain, but lately it seems like I'm driving myself towards the pain on purpose. I have a huge crush on the guy that hardly even considers me a friend because I've been his personal tormenter ever since we were kids. He also happens to be in love with my best friend, the complete opposite of me. I jump when Carly pokes my arm, handing me her cell phone. Without thinking, I reach out and take it. I put it up to my ear, cursing myself when I realize that it's going to be Freddie.

"Hello?" I ask, pretending that everything's perfectly fine.

"Are you sure you're okay, Sam? I won't come over if you don't want me to." Freddie says, his voice dull.

"I'm fine. I just didn't want to work on ideas tonight." I lie, pulling at a thread on my shorts.

"But you still don't want me to come over and hang out tonight?" he sounds confused and his voice is still a little off. I want to say yes, of course you can come over tonight.

"I just…" I trail off. "I'll see you tomorrow Freddifer." I snap the phone shut and hand it back to Carly. A pulsating throb, the beginning of a headache, pounds uncomfortably. Spencer pulls up to the curb, saving me from whatever Carly had just opened her mouth to say. I jump to my feet and sling my backpack over my shoulder.

"You two will NEVER guess what I did today!" Spencer's excited voice greets us as I climb into the backseat and Carly joins Spencer in the front.

"What did you do today?" Carly indulges him. I sit silently, only listening because I don't want to focus on my growing headache.

"I got a new goldfish. His name is Skipper!" Spencer tells Carly. I roll my eyes and tune them out when Carly punches him in the arm, calling him a fish murderer. It's only 20 blocks to Bushwell, about two miles, but it seemed to take so much longer today. I rubbed my temples in an effort to alleviate some of the pressure. Spencer finally parks ("Better a fish murderer than a plant murderer!") and we all get out. Carly ("Oh, yeah? Well at least your plant had a long life before it died!") and Spencer ("Goldfish only have a three second memory, so he won't miss much! Besides, I'm not going to kill this one.") continued to argue, ignoring Lewbert's screams. I feel like taking a different elevator than the warring siblings, but that would set off Carly's worry and open me up to an onslaught of questions. We wait outside the apartment as Spencer ("I built a timer to remind me to feed him every day!") uses his keys to unlock the door. Carly ("That timer is going to catch on fire and then you'll have a fire and a dead fish!") continues to bicker with Spencer (*GASP* "Take it back!") and I head for the fridge for some ham. I eat in silence, still trying to ignore my growing headache. Luckily, the argument burns out after a few minutes and Carly joins me for a snack. We agree to watch movies for a while, changing into pajamas (I borrow some of Carly's) since it's very likely that we'll fall asleep on the couch. In the middle of the fourth movie, my eyelids began to droop and I poke Carly awake.

"Go sleep upstairs. I want the couch." I say sleepily. Carly nods, yawning loudly. She rises and pauses while she waits for the elevator door to open.

"Night, Sam." I pull the pillow towards me.

"Night, Carly." I manage to say before sleep pulls me under.

Freddie POV 3:28AM Day 4

I stare at the ceiling, still unable to fall asleep. My body aches uncomfortably, and I realize it's because I'm missing Sam. I weigh her words against my sleeplessness and finally decide. I get out of bed quietly so I don't wake up my mother, grabbing my camera from the tech cart that I had moved from the studio yesterday. I silently crept through my apartment, opening and closing the front door without a squeak. I breathe a small sigh of relief and wipe nonexistent sweat off my forehead. Setting the camera down, I kneel in front of Carly's door and pull out a bobby pin. Hey, when your two best friends are girls, you just kind of accumulate all of this girly stuff. Similarly, I had picked up Sam's skill for picking locks. I poke the end of the bobby pin into the door, listening carefully as I twist it. Hearing a click, I pick up the camera and open Carly's door quietly. Not surprisingly, Sam is sprawled out on the couch. She's wearing yellow short shorts and a blue tank top, something that must be Carly's. I'm not going to lie. As creepy as it sounds, I stare for a while. She looked very peaceful and, of course, stunningly beautiful. I shake my head, noting that the ache was gone. Reaching down, I poke Sam's stomach.

**How will Sam react? Do you like the direction I'm taking the story? Do you hate it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review ? :(**

**My favorite part of this chapter (it was really fun to write) was Spencer and Carly's argument. Ah, good times with Skipper the goldfish...**

**I forgot to give a shout out to Midnight last chapter so I'm just gonna have to do it now! Midnight was the first to guess that Ms. ****Esposito**** is based off of that crazy drama teacher from High School Musical, Ms. ****Darbus****! Ms. ****Esposito**** is physically different and has a different accent, but her behaviour and clothes are similar to Ms. Darbus.**

**You guys (and girls) are so amazing! I recieved so many awesome reviews for last chapter and they really helped me get the drive to edit this chapter. (So I'm lazy, sue me...) Thanks to: Ironish Rose, dothepepperminttwist, smiley face, icecoffee18, Kpfan72491, Just Another Random Reader, x3 sierra, Mystapleza, readerofwonderfulwriters, Jesse, and RisyifaMcCurdy.**

**Thanks so much for reading and I KNOW you want to click that review button, so I'll leave you to it! :D**


	6. Wahoo Punch and Six Packs

**Hello my awesome readers! I have to say, this is my favorite chapter so far...so enjoy! Oh, and review please! :)**

Sam POV 3:40AM Day 4

I was having a great dream. Freddie and I were running through a field of ham, picking pieces to eat off the ground. Suddenly, I felt a very real poke on my stomach. Automatically, I grabbed the offending hand, pulling the person towards me. I swiftly swung my elbow to where their neck should be, taking them to the floor. I hear a satisfying thud and open my eyes, smiling. Freddie was rolling around on the floor, gasping for air. I feel a little guilty, but he shouldn't have been over in the first place.

"You okay, Freddly?" I ask, leaning down to look at him. His chocolate eyes are reproachful and he glares at me in answer, still trying to catch his breath. I shrug, sending some of my hair into his face on accident. I quickly pull it away, relieved when Freddie's breathing begins to even out.

"I told you not to come over. _This_ is all your fault." I say, motioning to him. He wheezes slightly, gathering his breath to speak.

"I was told that I would see you tomorrow." He points at the Shay's clock, rising to his feet. "It's almost four o'clock in the morning." My eyes narrow and I try to grip the non-existent collar of his t shirt. I stare down, puzzled. He wears only a soccer style pair of shorts and a tight fitting black t shirt. I give up, heading to the kitchen to get something to drink. I pour myself some Wahoo Punch, not bothering to ask Freddie if he wants some.

"So, did you want to do a Wake Up Spencer?" he asks me from the kitchen island. I shake my head, focused on pouring. I finish, sealing the cap and putting it in the fridge.

"Aww! You could have asked me if I wanted some Wahoo Punch!" Freddie complains. I roll my eyes and quickly fill my mouth with punch. Freddie is too busy complaining that he doesn't notice me until it's too late. I spit all of the punch in my mouth at him, soaking his shirt.

"There you go, Fredlumps. All for you." I ignore his cries of protest and settle on the couch. I turn on the TV, flipping through the channels. A dark figure moves in front of me, blocking the TV. Freddie is _still_ complaining about his stupid shirt. I switch my focus from his face to his bare chest. I gape and I'm pretty sure my mouth drags on the ground. The tech nerd is ripped. I start to count: one, two, three, four, five, six. Holy chiz! He's got a frickin' six pack? My eyes gradually travel upward to take in his bare arms. Seriously, what the hell? How could this have possibly happened without me noticing? It suddenly hits me how obvious I'm being and I snap my mouth shut, ordering my eyes to move but I just can't look away. Freddie shakes me by my shoulders, forcing my eyes away from his chest.

"Are you even listening to me?" he demands, obviously upset. I'm still very distracted and I reach out my hand to touch his chest but pull back before I make contact.

"Are they sprayed on?" I wonder to myself, tilting my head to the side. I don't realize that I said it out loud until Freddie looked at me in confusion.

"Is what sprayed on?" he asks, hands dropping off my shoulders as he straightens.

"Those. Your six pack." I point, barely able to speak because of the mixture of embarrassment and distraction. He smiles at me cockily and rubs his hands up and down them. I glare at him.

"Nope. I've been going to the gym four times a week for the past year. Like what you see, Puckett?" He asks, still cocky. Anger surges through me and a sharp comeback immediately comes to me.

"Well, I'm glad that it's only the gym that you've been going to. I was starting to think that you had a secret girlfriend that you weren't telling Carly about." He's stunned and I take the opportunity to push him out the door. I quickly lock the chain so that even if he picks the lock, he won't be able to get in. I settle on the couch again, flipping off the TV after a few minutes of infomercials. I slowly sink into an uneasy sleep, visions of Freddie still dancing in my head.

Carly woke me up the next morning in the only really safe way. I jump to my feet, the smell of bacon leading me to the kitchen.

"Morning." I say sleepily, still rubbing my eyes. Carly turns and smiles.

"Oh, good you're up. I'm almost done." She turns back to the pan in front of her, flipping the last pieces of bacon. My stomach growls and I sit on the stool facing the kitchen. I wait impatiently, drumming my fingers on the counter until Carly brings the bacon over. She gives me a few pieces, laughing when my stomach growls again. I dig in, not really paying attention to Carly.

"Did Freddie come over last night?" She asks innocently. I freeze, the events of this morning coming back to me. I choke on my bacon, spitting it out. Benson the tech nerd was ripped!

"Oh, yeah." I say casually, but my episode with the bacon had already given me away. Carly raises her eyebrows. "He just wanted to film Wake Up Spencer." Carly smirks.

"And did you film Wake Up Spencer?" I can't figure out why she's pushing this so hard.

"Well, no." Carly's smirk stretches into a sly grin. "But I did spit Wahoo Punch on him." I tell her, trying to knock the grin off her face. It works.

"Sam! He probably forgot his camera because he left all angry!" she scolds me. I shrug.

"He didn't leave 'all angry'." I say before I can stop myself. Carly looks at me, confused.

"What happened then?" I really want to lie, but it seems wrong to lie to Carly. She made me bacon.

"He did get kind of upset because I got his shirt all wet." I omit the part where he took his shirt off. "Then he made me mad, so I locked him out." I explain. Carly's eyebrows scrunch together, sensing that she's missing something.

"What did he say to upset you?" she asks. I look at the clock, hoping for an excuse.

"It doesn't matter. I still have to take a shower and school starts in half an hour." I rush up the stairs to Carly's bathroom, trying not to think about how determined Carly would be to pump me for information later.

Freddie POV 7:20AM Day 4

I switch my books quickly, already hearing Carly and Sam's bickering as they walk towards their lockers. I grin, thinking of all the ways I'm going to tease Sam today. It had been worth all of those workouts to see her gape in surprise this morning. I stroll behind them, knowing they haven't noticed me yet.

"Just tell me, Sam!"

"It doesn't matter!"

"If it doesn't matter, then why won't you tell me?" Sam opens her mouth to speak but I beat her to it.

"What doesn't matter?" I ask them. They both jump, turning to look behind them in surprise. I'm gratified when Sam blushes, dropping her eyes to the floor. Carly's face lights up.

"Freddie! What did you say to Sam to make her mad last night?" Carly asks, excited. Sam's eyes flash to my face.

"Benson…" she threatens lowly. I smile my most charming smile at her before turning to Carly.

"I just told Sam to stop gawking at my six pack." I say it louder than I intend and half of the people in the hallway turn to stare at us. Sam groans, rolling her eyes. Carly looks at me in shock.

"YOU have a six pack?" Her surprise is a little insulting. Sam looks like she wants to disappear or beat the crap out of me. I don't think she's decided yet.

"You don't believe me?" I ask, feigning hurt. "Just ask Sam." The entire hallway turns to stare at Sam. I know I'm really pushing my luck and there's a tense second when Sam's eyes lock on mine. I stare back at her, prepared to try to defend myself. Sam is obviously furious, but the overwhelming urge to escape the situation entirely is what makes her exhale audibly and turn her back to me.

"Go ahead, Benson. Prove I'm not crazy." Sam calls over her shoulder as she stalks away. I grin after her, already pulling my shirt up.

**Hahahahahaaha! Sorry, just needed to get that out of my system. So...how was it? Did you love it? Did you hate it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My personal favorite part of the chapter: Hmmm...either Sam gawking at Freddie or the dialogue in the hallway where everyone's staring at them. This whole chapter was really fun to write! Oh, and have any of you seen the pictures from the season four run throughs (practicing with the scripts)? Nathen Kress has a different hair cut and he's been working out, so maybe this chapter isn't so far off the mark... Miranda and Jeanette are beautiful, as always. If you want to see a picture of season four cast then I'll leave a link in my profile.**

**HUGE THANKS TO ALL OF THE REVIEWERS: Ironish Rose, x3 sierra, smileyface, icecoffee18, alma, dothepepperminttwist, Kpfan72491, Mystapleza, MultiSeddieLover, vvvv.**

**TO SMILEYFACE: I'm very sorry for your loss and I wish you and your family go through this with the least amount of pain possible. I recently lost a relative as well and I know how hard it can be.**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading! I'll just leave you and that review button alone now. ;)**


	7. I'm Not Acting

**Hello my fellow Seddiers and amazing readers! Here's Chapter 7 so enjoy! Oh, and review please! :)**

Sam POV 7:25AM Day 4

I hear the cries of surprise from behind me and I grind my teeth together. I really hate that the thing I want to do most right now is turn back around and stare like all the other girls. My hands ball into fists and I force myself to keep walking. I hear running footsteps and I turn to see Freddie trying to catch up.

"Wait up, Puckett! I give a peep show to half the girls in school just to prove you aren't crazy for gawking at me and you won't even wait for me to catch up!" he says loudly. I cringe as I feel every single eye in the hallway fall on me.

"Shut up Freddork! I was just…taken by surprise." I say carefully, aware that everyone is hanging on my words. Freddie's grin widens and he bends down to whisper in my ear.

"Taken by surprise by my chiseled abs." He whispers. I roll my eyes, folding my arms across my chest. "See you after sixth period." He straightens, laughing as if he's said something funny to me and walks away. I stare after him, fuming. The bell rings and I force myself to walk away, shaking with anger and…anticipation. Ugh. I mentally kick myself.

As the day progresses, my anger at Freddie burns out. I wish I could say the same for the anticipation that nags me constantly. Groups of giggly girls, led by Wendy, talk about this morning's 'peep show' all day. Even worse, they feel the need to follow me and question me about the circumstances around Freddie's shirt coming off. I roll my eyes each time I'm asked, growing increasingly annoyed. Finally, just to get them away from me, I tell them that I spit punch at him and he took his shirt off because it was wet. For some reason, they seem disappointed with this explanation, almost like they were wishing for something more juicy. Sixth period is impossible. I squirm in my seat and check the clock every two seconds, waiting for the period to be over. The bell finally rings and I nonchalantly sling my backpack over my shoulder and walk out into the hallway. Freddie immediately falls in step next to me. We don't exchange a look or anything else to acknowledge each other, but it's enough for me to know that he's there. We walk into the theater and Freddie offers to get the scripts again. I nod my head, watching him walk away before going to join the tight knit circle of girls. Their chatter is incessant and about…you guessed it: Freddie. Beverly, the girl playing Lady Montague, is the first to see me and she squeals loudly.

"Sam, Sam! She can tell us!" she says, pointing. The entire group turns to look at me eagerly, Carly coming to stand at my side. I groan, rolling my eyes.

"Tell you _what_?" I ask, almost whining. Carly pats my shoulder reassuringly.

"Is Freddie's six pack real or fake?" Beverly asks, leaning forward eagerly. I barely hold back a blush, swishing my hair into my face.

"He told me that he's been going to the gym for a while." I respond, rolling my eyes. All of the girls except Carly and I squeal annoyingly. I feel a poke on my shoulder and I turn to see Freddie covering his ears.

"Why are they squealing?" He has to practically yell to be heard.

"Oh, look it's Freddie!" someone says and they immediately quiet down.

"Guess." I say sarcastically, taking my script from him.

"Oh, don't be like that. You're the one that told me to do it!" Freddie argues back.

"Only because you had to announce to the whole hallway that you took your shirt off in front of me!"

"Because you spit Wahoo Punch all over me!"

"This wouldn't have even happened in the first place if you would have listened to me! I told you not to come over last night!"

"It was morning! I was just going to see if you wanted to do a Wake Up Spencer!"

"I told you no! Why didn't you just listen to me?" It's surprising even to me how hurt I sound, almost like he betrayed me. I suddenly become aware of the entire drama department following our argument like it was a tennis match. However, I'm more aware of the boy about an inch away. I watch as his face falls and he backs away, holding up his hands in surrender.

"You're right. I'm sorry I didn't listen to what you wanted." His chocolate brown eyes beg for forgiveness and I find myself nodding my head.

"Thank you." I say quietly. I hear loud clapping from the seats and I see Ms. Esposito out of the corner of my eyes.

"Bravo, my chickens! A beautiful warm up!" she pronounces beautiful weird, stretching out the u. "Okay, today we are doing Act one, Scenes four and five. I need Benvolio, Mercutio, and Romeo. Go, my chickens!" I follow Ms. Esposito and sit next to her, barely noticing when Carly comes to sit by me. The scene picks up and it's exactly the same as yesterday. Sure, Gibby and Shane are good, but Freddie is amazing. I stare at him the whole time, my attention unwavering. His voice is rich, making the scene come to life even without props. When the scene ends, I blink, almost as if coming out of a trance. I feel eyes burning into me and I turn to see Carly staring, half smug and half surprised.

"What?" I ask her, worried that she may have noticed that I was staring at Freddie. No, that's ridiculous. It would just look like I was staring at the stage. Probably. Carly opens her mouth to respond but Ms. Esposito jerks me to my feet and starts pushing me towards the stage.

"Wonderful scene, my chickens! I need First Servant, Second Servant, Benvolio, Anthony, Potpan, Capulet, Capulet Relative, Tybalt, Nurse, Romeo and Juliet. Pip pip! Hop to it, my chickens!" I climb the stairs to the stage, an unnatural feeling of dread falling upon me. I don't know why; we're only reading lines and following stage directions. When the props are all ready, then we'll rehearse for real. The scene starts, servants speaking amongst themselves. Next, Capulet picks up the thread, talking with a relative. Then, Romeo asks a servant who Juliet is. He proceeds with a speech about her beauty. I stare at the scrip, gripping it with more force than necessary. I feel every eye in the room flicker between Freddie and I curiously, waiting for some sort of reaction. I breathe a sigh of relief when Freddie finally finishes and Capulet begins to argue with Tybalt. I'm not really following along, so I jump when I feel Freddie's electric touch as he gently holds my hand. Unwillingly, I raise my eyes to meet his. I'm supposed to be acting like I'm suddenly falling in love, but as I look at him, I can't breathe. That's when I realize that I'm not acting, not for one second.

**DUN DUN DUNNNN!**

**Sorry about that cliffe, but I just had to do it! So...Was it completely Seddish (Not really sure if that's a word...)? Or was it completely suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My favorite part of the chapter: Probably the last sentence (That's when I realize that I'm not acting, not for one second.) What could Sam possibly mean?**

**OMG I HAVE THE MOST AWESOME REVIEWERS EVER! I think I got the most reviews that I've ever gotten on a chapter before! So, BIG thanks to: Ironish Rose, , xx-SamxFreddie-xx, WishFlower, x3 sierra, xBeckyBooHere, CandyRox12, Seddielovergrl, dothepepperminttwist, Kpfan72491, smileyface, and icecoffee18!**

**Thanks A BUNCH for reading and (pretty please!) reviewing!**


	8. Running Away

**Hello my fellow Seddiers! Here's Chapter 8 and it's one of my favorite so far! Confession time: I had the song 'Halo' by Beyonce stuck in my head and it gave me the idea for this chapter and the next few chapters.**

**WARINING: There is so real Shakespeare in here, but if you don't want to read it, I put a translation right underneath. I even put a summary of the scene at the end of it, so hopefully you guys like it. So...enjoy reading and remember to review please!**

Freddie POV 3:30PM Day 4

Falling in love for real is a lot different than what most movies or books tell you. I look into Sam's eyes and there isn't any golden light that suddenly envelops her. I don't hear a chorus sing or watch as a sudden gust of air streams her hair behind her. Instead it feels like I've been run over by a freight train. She's not perfect, but I don't want perfect. I see the funniest, prettiest, and most of all, unattainable person I know. I hear someone clear their throat in the audience and I shake my head to clear it, still stunned from the hit I'd just taken. I tighten my grip on her hand and she seems to come from a faraway place. I look down at my script and try to speak evenly.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand,

This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

_Translation: If I'm profaning a holy shrine with my unworthy hand, the lesser sin is my lips waiting to kiss away the roughness of my touch._

My gaze flickers up to rest on her pale face. She looks down at her script before my eyes can catch hers.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand to much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this;

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

_Translation: Dear pilgrim, you do your hand wrong because it is only showing true devotion. Statues of saints are touched by pilgrims, and when their palms touch, it is a holy palmer's kiss._

I look down, surprised at how realistic Sam's tone is. She's a very good actress.

"Have not saints lips and holy palmers too?"

_Translation: Don't saints and pilgrims have lips as well?_

Glancing up at her, I see that she still won't look at me.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer."

_Translation: Yes. Lips that must be used for prayer._

Her voice still doesn't waver, but I notice that her hands shake. She's probably mad at me for the whole six pack thing. I stare down at my script.

"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do!

They pray. Grant thou, lest faith turn to despair."

_Translation: Well then, let lips kiss as hands kiss. Grant me a kiss or else I may lose my faith._

I read numbly, my eyes slowly rising to stare again.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake."

_Translation: Saints can't move, but they do grant prayers._

Sam's eyes are still downcast and I look at her for an extra long moment before speaking.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.

Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."

_Translation: Then be still while my prayer is granted._

_SUMMARY OF SCENE: Romeo is comparing Juliet to a saint and himself as a pilgrim. When their palms touch, Romeo suggests that lips touch as palms touch (kissing)._

I blink, realizing that Sam and I have ended up with only a few inches separating us. I want more than anything to complete the next stage direction, but I don't want things to be awkward between us. I stare at her and search her chaotic blue eyes carefully. Her eyes flicker up to meet mine for a brief second, pleading with me. I nod my head and back away. I turn around and find Ms. Esposito in the audience. She nods her head in understanding.

"Just remember, my chickens. During the play you are going to have to kiss." Her voice is soft, but her eyes follow something behind me. I turn to look at where Sam was, but she's gone. I look back up at Ms. Esposito and follow her eyes to where Sam is half running up the aisle, motioning for Carly to follow her. I'm still numb, the effects of my realization still overwhelming me. I loosen my fingers and allow my script to fall to the stage with a thud. That's when I go after her.

Sam POV 4:00PM Day 4

"Sam, don't you want to wait for Freddie?" Carly protests as I drag her up the aisle. She's oblivious to the eyes: shocked eyes, knowing eyes, and confused eyes. It wouldn't normally bother me, but they had just seen one of the hardest moments of my entire life.

"No." I say even though every part of me screams YES! I curse myself and push the theater door open, eager to get out into the sunshine. Lightning flashes, illuminating a black storm cloud and a heavy downpour that pounds loudly against the sidewalk. I grab Carly's hand, desperate to escape before Freddie can come remind me of everything that's happened today. Carly resists, pulling me back under the overhang.

"Are you crazy? We can just call Spencer to pick us up." Carly reasons with me and I'm about to agree to stay when she finishes. "Or we can get Freddie's mom to give us a ride home." I immediately spin on my heel, running out into the pouring rain. Looking back, it defiantly wasn't my best decision but all I could think about was my need to get away from Freddie.. and everything that came with him. As soon as I feel the first raindrop, I know I've made a mistake. Now, I've lived in Seattle for a long time and had more than my far share of rain, but this rain was different. It was freezing cold and tiny ice crystals in the drops grow steadily bigger until it's almost hail. My converse sneakers are water logged in seconds when I try to run through a lake-sized puddle, water also splashing up to soak my jeans. I pull my thin jacket closer, desperate as cold assails me. For as much good as it's doing me, I might as well not be wearing a jacket at all. The street is dark, the suffocating rain so dense that lights have little effect on visibility. I hear a very familiar voice yelling my name behind me and I run faster in panic. Anything to get away from that voice. I turn the corner and lightning illuminates the wet sidewalk in front of me. I sprint, knowing with confidence that he can't catch me now. My hair is plastered to my face and I can barely see; but I still run desperately. My chest hurts, but I couldn't really tell you if it was because of a lack of oxygen or my emotional turmoil. Suddenly, arms encircle my waist and jerk me to a stop. I flail in panic, trying to get a punch on the guy.

"Sam it's only me! What the HELL were you thinking?" Freddie demands and I go limp, the fight leaving me. I feel light headed and my thoughts aren't very coherent as they try to push past the consuming fog that's filling my brain. Obviously still worried that I'll try and run away again, Freddie keeps me pressed against him with his arms around my waist as he drags me towards the nearest shelter; a deserted coffee shop. Under the small awning, Freddie spins me around to face him. His hands that previously gripped my waist grab my wrists. I avoid his eyes, the combination of his hands on my wrists and close proximity already hard to handle.

"What the HELL were you thinking?" He repeats his question from earlier. It takes me a few seconds to understand through the haze but, when I do, I'm determined to feed him a complete lie. I try to open my mouth, but find I can't talk because my teeth chatter so violently. An involuntary shiver runs through me and it seems to trigger little aftershock shivers that leave me shaking from head to toe. One of Freddie's hands leave my wrist to gently push back the hair in my face.

"We have to go to Carly's. Can you make it?" he asks softly, his fury suddenly concern. I think about the ten blocks we have left to go and nod my head, afraid I'll bite off my tongue if I talk while my teeth are chattering. I feel Freddie's eyes look me up and down once, evaluating my condition. He knows that I would never admit that I couldn't do something. He finally comes to a conclusion and shrugs off his jacket, draping it around me. It was rainproof, warm, and comfortable. Even though I'm slow right now, the mixture of cinnamon and vanilla immediately makes me relax slightly. Freddie stares at me, obviously waiting for me to look back. When I don't, he tucks me carefully under his arm and against his chest so that we can still run while he shields most of the rain from me. His touch sends warmth shooting into me, either from his body heat or something else, I couldn't tell. We ran for a few steps awkwardly before Freddie shook his head, growling with impatience at the slow speed. I look up at him, my eyes widening when he bent down.

"N-NO, B-B-BENSON! YOU ARE-E NOT G-GOING TO C-C-CARRY ME-E!" I protest, the effect ruined when I could barely speak through my chatting teeth. Freddie shakes his head, not even bothering to respond. His arm scoops under my knees and his other arm grips my upper back. I rest my head against his chest, still telling him to stop.

"Shut up and put your arms around my neck." His tone is low and deadly. I reach my arms around his neck obediently, intertwining them when they meet. I realize that I've seen people carried like this before….at weddings. He lifts me easily, hunching his shoulders to protect me from the rain that was quickly becoming hail. Shivers run through me, uncontrollable jerks that are growing worse. I still protest, words barely heard over the hail. He pauses to look down at me for a moment and I flinch. I had thought that I had seen Freddie Benson furious before, but it's nothing compared to the deadly expression on his face now. He lifts his gaze again to focus on the sidewalk in front of him and breaks into a jog, as if I don't weigh anything. I wait for him to drop me or stop because he's too tired to continue, my amazement growing when he picks up speed. I stare up at him, ignoring the hail that lands on my face. What was I missing here? How the hell could Benson the tech nerd run while carrying me? I vividly remember his muscles from last night. Maybe, but this was still pretty unbelievable. He finally makes it to the Bushwell Plaza, almost running into Spencer when he cuts through the parking lot.

"Why are you out here? Is Sam okay?" Spencer demands, pulling his rainproof jacket closer. Freddie is winded, but he answers Spencer as best he can.

"Sam…ran into the rain." He paused, looking down at me. "She's too cold." Spencer looks between the two of us curiously before running to his car.

"I'm gonna go get Carly. I'll help you when I get back!" I look at the flooded street with doubt but Freddie is already running towards the lobby again. The fog grows stronger every minute, and I notice that I'm having a hard time thinking straight. Freddie puts me down slowly under the overhang, holding the door open for me. When I walk inside, the heat of the lobby feels like fire against my skin. Lewbert screams profanities about how we were getting his lobby all wet. I would tell him to shut up, but I'm afraid I'll bite my own tongue off. Lewbert suddenly quiets and I follow his gaze to Freddie. I flinch when I see his face set in a deadly rage, obviously still furious with me. He grabs my hand roughly, pulling me towards the elevator. The doors shut behind us and Freddie punches the button for the eighth floor. I'm still shivering violently and my fingers are turning blue. Freddie studies me quietly, cursing under his breath. He pulls me against him again, but his clothes are just as wet as mine and offer little heat. He rubs warmth into my hands, concern mingling with his fury. The door dings upon and he pulls me down the hallway to Carly's apartment. He reaches, his fingers brushing the top of the doorway and a key falls to the ground. Freddie opens the door and leads me inside before forcing me to face him.

**Sorry, kind of an awkward spot to cut it off but I had to save some for next chapter! So...Was it completely awesome? Or was it completely terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Okay, show of hands, who saw this coming? *Scans crowd* ****Yay****! I'm completely ****unpredictable**** and random! Please know that I'm doing this for a reason and I didn't just suddenly decide that it would be funny to put this in here.**

**MY FAVORITE PART? Freddie carrying Sam bridal style! WHY? Because I SO wish that it would happen on the iCarly show. Now THAT would be funny to watch...**

**YOU ARE ALL THE BEST REVIEWERS ON ALL OF FANFICTION! I broke my record again! So, HUGE thanks to: Mystapleza, x3 sierra, SeddieLovergrl, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Seddie is MY LIFE, xBeckyBooHerex, Autumn, Kpfan72491, Virgoleo23, CandyRox12, Gabsikle, icecoffee18, Lanter, and ForeignBaconLover!**

**TO AUTUMN: Yes, Carly is Rosaline for a reason. But who could Paris be? :D**

**That's about it! You all are amazing and thanks so much for reading and (hopefully) reviewing! :)**


	9. Body Heat

**Hello my awesome readers! Here's Chapter 9! Please enjoy reading and reviewing makes my day, so please review!**

Sam POV (continued)

"I'm in charge, okay? You're going to do exactly as I say since you were the one stupid enough to run into a storm in the first place! Go change, sweats and long sleeved t shirt. I'm going to run over to my house to get some clothes. I'll be down here when you finish." His fury is evident but he's held back by concern. I nod, my teeth still chattering. His expression softens suddenly, and he pulls me into a tight hug.

"Don't you EVER do that again." He whispers fiercely into my ear, breaking away quickly and pointing at the stairs. I numbly climb the stairs, trying to warm myself by rubbing my hands together. Opening Carly's door, I head over to her dresser and open the pants drawer. I find a pair of gray sweats that fit reasonably well and open another drawer of shirts. I quickly pick a black one, long sleeved as Freddie had demanded. Another shiver runs through me and I grab a towel from Carly's bathroom. I peel off my wet clothing, my shivering increasing. I towel myself dry in seconds, wanting to sink into sleep as soon as possible. My head hurts and my movements are jerky, so it takes me awhile to finally put the clothes on. Just as I'm pulling the shirt over my head, I hear a light knock on Carly's door. I readjust the sweats and listen as Freddie speaks.

"Sam, you okay?" He asks, his voice muffled through the door. I run my hands through my wet hair, before pulling the door open. Freddie looks at me briefly, making sure I put on suitable clothing. He's in black sweats and a tight-fitting gray t shirt. His soaked hair looks like it's been towel dried, but it's still damp. Normally, I would be drooling over how hot he looks right now, but the only thing I can focus on is how cold and sleepy I am. I try to answer him, but my teeth give a particularly violent chatter and I quickly give up. He looks me up and down, searching for the answer himself.

"Come on." He says, barely concealed fury masked by worry. He grabs my hand and jerks me forward. I crash against his chest and almost gasp at the warmth that shoots through me from his touch. He wraps both of his arms around me and rubs my arms frantically, trying to give warmth as we walk down the stairs. It feels perfect, despite the cold, and I look up at him in confusion. He senses my eyes and looks down to catch my expression.

"I'm sharing body heat." His answer is clipped, trying to avoid getting to upset with me right now. My heart sinks and my violent shivering becomes worse. The fog grows thicker, the need for sleep growing stronger by the second. He pauses on the stairs, leaning over to bump up the heat on the thermostat. When it doesn't work, he cusses loudly. I look at him in surprise, unconsciously leaning away. Freddie Benson doesn't cuss. I had been surprised to hear him say 'hell' earlier, but that was nothing on the curses he was using now.

"The power's out." He explains, noticing my reaction. My teeth chatter audibly, and my brain is processing slowly. "I talked to Spencer on my cell a minute ago. He said that they closed all the roads because of the flooding." I look up at him, questioning. He sighs, running his hand through his hair. "Spencer and Carly are trapped at the school until the rain clears up and my mom is stuck at work." My eyes widen, but he doesn't notice, already pulling me towards the couch. He motions for me to lie down and I listen to him, curling up on the couch. I close my eyes and fold my arms across my chest in an effort trap escaping body heat. I immediately began to drift along, going to someplace where it's warm and I'm not in love with someone who will never love me back. I jump, my eyes snapping open, when something fuzzy lands on top of me. Freddie's face is still set in a tight grimace, but he spreads the blanket over me carefully. I close my eyes again, immediately back on the brink of sleep. I curl up under the blanket, warmer than before, but still freezing.

"No, no, no!" I hear Freddie say loudly, slapping my cheek lightly. I open my eyes irritably, shoving him away. I close my eyes again, trying to ignore the violent shivers. A warm hand that feels like fire grabs my chin, jerking my face up roughly.

"I'm in charge, Sam! You can't go to sleep!" Freddie yells loudly, right in my face. My teeth chatter too much for me to form an adequate response so I glare at him, clearly disagreeing. His grip on my chin tightens.

"Look Sam, I'm trying to keep you alive! Can't you trust me just this once?" his voice breaks on the last word and I blink, a little bit of the fog leaving my brain. I look at him, still confused, but nodding agreement. Freddie lets go of my chin, his expression one of almost panic. I listen to his running footsteps and the whistle of doors opening. He's suddenly there, bending over me. His arms make me shudder with their warmth as one locks under my knees and the other supports my back. It's the same way Freddie carried me earlier; bridal style. He lifts me gently and my head lolls against his chest. I automatically move towards his body heat, shifting to press against his chest. My eyes half open, I watch as Freddie walks sideways to fit me thorough Carly's doorway and his doorway. He carefully carries me through his familiar living room, down a narrow hallway and through the doorway to his bedroom. He tries to put me down, but I grip his shirt stubbornly. He's very warm and it feels nice to be carried by him. He gently detaches my hands, laying me down on his bed softly. I watch as he hurries to his closet, coming out a few seconds later with thick socks and a beanie. He looks at me, obviously wondering if I can put them on myself. Another violent shiver rips through me and he shakes his head, pulling my bare feet towards him. He quickly puts on the socks, moving to the side of the bed to put the beanie on. I watch him with exhausted eyes, wanting to sleep but remembering that I had promised not to. Freddie hurries away again and I wrap my arms around myself, my teeth still chattering with the cold. Running footsteps and he's back, a dozen blankets under his arm. He quickly takes the first one and tucks me in on one side, leaving the other side open. He repeats the process for each blanket, the panicked hurry never leaving his eyes or his movements. When he's finally done, he looks at me, conflicted. I stare back, not sure what expression is on my face. Another shiver racks my body and I close my eyes for a second to deal with it. Slowly opening my eyes again, I dully take in Freddie's determined expression.

"Sam, we're going to have to share body heat. I'm going to hug you, okay? Then you can go to sleep." He tells me, trying to keep a semblance of calm. I remember how warm he is and the thought of sleep is very appealing. The fog makes me light headed, but I nod to show that I understand. Freddie climbs beneath all of the blankets and scoots over to me. He reaches around my waist and pulls himself closer to me, his hands resting on my lower back. I bury my face in his warm chest, my arms loosening on my stomach. My last thought is of how much I wish to never move from this position, even if it means putting life on hold indefinably.

Freddie POV 6:00PM Day 4

Sam sleeps, shivers still racking her body, but her teeth have stopped chattering. I hug her to me, trying to keep my thoughts strictly platonic. I can't resist the thought that this feels perfect and I want this to be real. Not a hypothermic Sam that obviously doesn't know what's going on or else she wouldn't let it happen. I think about why she's hypothermic in the first place. How could she be so stupid, so reckless? I've never been angrier with a person in my life and it certainly hasn't died down one bit, only hidden by my intense worry. She shifts a little in her sleep, pressing her arms to my chest. My breath catches and I shake my head, trying to think of anything else but the hypothermic girl who I happened to be in love with that was pressed against my chest. I fail miserably, pulling Sam closer when another shiver runs through her. It's going to be a very long night.

**So...Was it completely awesome? Or was it completely lame? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My favorite part? Hmm...probably Freddie hugging Sam at the beginning. What was your favorite part? Did you not have a favorite part because it was so awful?**

**BIG NEWS! I'm going on vacation next week! I'm leaving Saturday, so my last update until I get back will be tomorrow!**

**THANKS TO MY COMPLETLY WONDERFUL REVIEWS! I got reviews from: Ironish Rose, smiley face, Mystapleza, SeddieLovergrl, Autumn, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, x3 sierra, bridgetking26, CandyRox12, icecoffee18, SamPrincessPuckett, Kpfan72491, Lanter.**

**Hmm, thats about it! Thanks so much for reading and just remember that the more you review, the faster I write! :)**


	10. Freddie's Tirade

**Woohoo****! Are you ready for the ****Seddie****? Here's Chapter 10! Enjoy and review please!**

Sam POV 1:48AM Day 5

I wake from a very vivid dream extremely disoriented. In the dream, I was freezing in the rain but Freddie had carried me to Carly's apartment. All I know now is that I'm burning up, suffocating in the heat. The biggest source of heat is very close to me, so close that my arms and head are pressed against it. I groggily push the heat away, upset when it stays put. I push it more forcefully and it groans sleepily. My eyes snap open and I find myself face to face with Freddie. I remember everything, and swell with gratitude, an unfamiliar emotion. Trying not to wake Freddie up, I shove the huge mass of blankets off of us and onto the floor. I turn my back to Freddie, twisting out of his grip, and drop the beanie on the ground. Freddie groans again, shifting in his sleep and I hold my breath. His arms lock around my stomach and he pulls me against his chest. What the hell? Was Benson seriously _spooning_ me? He mutters something in his sleep that sounds a lot like "Stay still, Sam." I shake my head a little bit and try to shift away, but his grip is impossibly tight across my stomach. I fight with him for a minute, but he only tightens his grip and I give up in frustration. Resting my head on his arm uneasily, I try not to think about how close I'm pressed against Freddie. Sleep quickly overtakes me, but not before a small smile steals across my face. Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.

Freddie POV 8:00AM Day 5

I stir slowly, wondering why I'm not hearing my shrill alarm clock. It's Friday, after all. I blink my eyes open sleepily, confused when I feel something warm and soft against my chest. Everything suddenly comes back to me and I notice that my arms are also wrapped around something warm and soft. I look at the blonde sleeping peacefully against me in amazement. This wasn't how we fell asleep. I roll my eyes when I see that she pushed all the blankets off and removed the beanie. I gently pull my arms away from her, one of them half numb because she's been laying on it for who knows how long. My numb arm tingles painfully as I try to massage some feeling back into it. Sam groans in her sleep, shifting so she's closer to me. I reach down and put my hand on her forehead to check her temperature. She's warmer, about back to normal. I'll have to double check with a thermometer. I pull my hand away from her forehead and start to get up when I see Sam's eyes flicker open.

"Morning, Benson." She says sleepily, stretching. I take a deep, calming breath. I'm not going to yell at her until I'm sure she's better.

"Morning, Puckett. When did you take the blankets off?" I ask evenly, opening the first aid kit under my desk.

"I don't know. The power's still out." She notes, tapping my bedside clock that has a blank face. I place the first aid kit on its side, opening it and searching for the thermometer. I hear Sam moving again and feel her eyes watching me curiously.

"What are you up to, Fredison?" I roll my eyes, picking up the thermometer and standing up.

"I'm going to take your temperature." I say, moving to sit next to her on the bed. She shrugs, opening her mouth in compliance and I stick the thermometer in before she can change her mind. I count to ten slowly, watching her the whole time. Her eyes are closed and she looks like she wants to go back to sleep. I want to reach out and touch her face so bad that it's only sheer force of will that keeps me still. I pull the thermometer out, reading the digital numbers carefully. Her core body heat is back to normal, 98.6. I close my eyes and I can feel her gaze rest on me expectantly. My anger crashes around me like a tidal wave and my eyes snap open.

"WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING? You could've tripped and gotten hit by a car! Some pervert could have grabbed you when you ran by them! Hell, if it wasn't for me, you would have hypothermia still! You could have died Sam! How could you do that to us? To everyone at school? To Spencer? To Carly? To ME?" Sam sinks into the mattress in shock, but I'm defiantly not done yet. I stand and reach across the bed, pulling her up gently by her wrists. I stop when she's perched on the edge of the bed and I get on my knees, eye level with her. I still grip her wrists tightly in one hand, my eyes forcing her shocked gaze to stay on me.

"You can't afford to be so stupid because you're not invincible Sam! Did that finally get through to you when I had to carry you here? What if I hadn't been able to catch up to you? Did you EVER think about that Sam?" I break off, automatically releasing her wrists. Sam looks down, hurt overcoming her shock. I watch anxiously, guilt flowing through me. I hate myself at that moment, seeing Sam at her worst and knowing that I made her that way.

"Sam, I'm so sor-." I begin to apologize, ready to throw myself at her feet and beg for her forgiveness.

"How did you catch me?" she cuts me off, still looking down. I'm caught off guard, and answer without thinking.

"I was worried and I didn't want anything to happen to you. I'm…" I catch myself just in time, preventing my confession of love. I fumble for a minute before continuing. "I'm your best friend." I can't see her expression, but Sam's tense muscles loosen slightly. She almost seems…disappointed with my answer. An awkward silence falls between us and I clear my throat.

"Sam?" I ask softly, relieved when she raises her chaotic blue eyes to look at me. "Why did you run?" She flinches from the question as if it's something poisonous. She stands suddenly, pushing past me. I rise also and turn to face her. She seems to be struggling with something, her hands clenching and unclenching.

"It's nothing, Freddie." she pauses, looking at me briefly. Her eyes are still raw from the pain I'd inflicted minutes ago. "Nothing." She whispers.

Sam POV 8:15AM Day 5

Freddie's eyes fill with guilt again and he backs off, nodding his head sadly. I had deserved every angry word he threw at me, but that hadn't stopped it from hurting.

"So, what are we going to do today?" I ask, my stomach growling. Freddie shakes his head, grabbing my hand. The simple touch makes my head spin and my heart race faster.

"Find something for you to eat, I guess." He quickly begins to pull me towards his kitchen and I try to forget everything we had talked about.

Carly POV 3:00PM Day 5

I had left Sam and Freddie alone for almost a whole day! Whose body would I find when I got back? It was too much to hope that they wouldn't argue but I wish they wouldn't kill each other. Was Sam okay? Spencer had told me that Freddie had been carrying her, something she would NEVER have allowed if she had the power to resist him. I fumble with the keys to my apartment, finally swinging the door open. I scan the room quickly and, not seeing them, go check all of the other rooms. I collapse on the couch ten minutes later in defeat, having finished checking every room. Where else could they possibly be? I lunge forward as the answer hits me, and I curse myself for being so stupid. I barge into Freddie's apartment through the unlocked door, looking carefully around his living room. I check every room in his house, but they aren't here either. I open Freddie's door to go back to my apartment when I freeze. There is one room that I didn't check… I spin on my heel and numbly walk back into the apartment. I make my way down the hallway and slowly pull open Freddie's bedroom door. My breath catches and my eyes widen. I slowly reach down to pinch myself, not breathing. I wince at the sharp pain of the pinch. No, I'm defiantly awake, but Sam and Freddie certainly aren't. Sam's head lies on Freddie's chest, his arm wrapped around her and holding her against him. One of Sam's arms also rests on Freddie's chest, the other lies under his shoulder. Freddie's head rests on top of Sam's, his breath stirring her hair. I'm more shocked by how strong Freddie's protectiveness seems and Sam's cooperation, even enjoyment based on the smile on her face, then their actual close proximity. It was such a perfect moment and I have to document it before Sam and Freddie deny that it ever happened. I slowly pull out my pear phone and snap a picture, no flash and no sound. I smile to myself, creating a new folder that I label Seddie. I don't know why, but I have a feeling that my new folder is going to fill up fast. Closing the door quietly, I head back to my apartment with an idiotic grin on my face.

**Haha****! Carly's a little spy! So...Completely ****suckish**** or completely ****Seddie****? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**If you want to see how Carly caught Sam and Freddie sleeping, check out my profile!** **I wasn't sure how well I described it, so I found a picture! :)**

**I LOVE MY AWESOME REVIEWERS! You guys (and girls) are so amazing! Thanks to: ****Gabsikle****, Kpfan72491, ****Ironish**** Rose, CandyRox12, xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, ****thetiaraclub****, ****Seddielovergrl****, smiley face, x3 sierra, ****shannaROCKS****, Autumn, ****felicarlyia****, icecoffee18, and ****Multiseddielover****!**

**THIS IS MY LAST UPDATE FOR A WEEK BECAUSE I'M GOING ON VACATION! Oh, don't hate me! I could have left you at an even worse ****cliffie (Not sure if that's how it's spelled...)****!**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and I know that review button is looking awfully tempting, so I'll just leave you two alone! ;)**


	11. Halftruths and Lies

**Yay****, I'm back! Did you hear? Jane Lynch (Sue Sylvester on Glee) is going to play Sam's MOM! AHHHHH! She was the first person I thought of when I used to picture Sam's mom so this is awesome! Back to the story...**

Freddie POV 3:40PM Day 5

I open my eyes reluctantly, waking from a restful and unusually happy nap. I lift my hands to my face and rub my eyes, yawning loudly. Something on my chest shifts, groaning in protest to my movement. I'm shocked to see Sam snuggled up against my chest, her eyes blinking open sleepily.

"Hey, Princess Puckett. Sleep well?" I greet her, biting back a laugh at her confused expression. Her head slowly pushes off of my chest and she looks down at her hand that still rests on my chest.

"This wasn't how we fell asleep." She says, still trying to figure this out. I laugh for real this time.

"No, it's not." I agree, thinking about the vast improvement. We had taken care to move to the opposite edges of the bed after we had started to fall asleep while watching a movie on my laptop. Sam quickly pulls her hand off of my chest, scooting off of the bed.

"Come make me food." She demands. I raise my eyebrow, reminding her of my lecture on manners earlier today when she had demanded I make her breakfast. She rolls her eyes but complies. "Come make me food, _please_?" The sarcasm is thick but I avoid a fight, shaking my head in amusement.

"Okay, what do you want?" I ask. Sam opens her mouth to answer when I hear the door to my apartment fly open.

"Freddie? Oh where are you my Freddiebear?" my mom calls from the living room, her voice getting closer. Sam's eyes widen and she freezes, obviously considering the consequences of getting caught by my overprotective mother. I scramble to my feet and push Sam into my bathroom, hissing at her to be quiet. A second later my bedroom door opens and I turn to face my frantic mother. She hurries over to me and wraps me in a tight hug that pushes all of the air out of my lungs. "Oh, my baby boy! Are you ok?" I push her away gently, glad that Sam can't see my blush.

"I'm fine, mom." I assure her. She looks me over carefully, rubbing my arms as if to warm me.

"Well, okay Freddie. Do you want me to make you dinner?" I hear a loud rumble from the bathroom. Sam's stomach. "What was that?" She asks, already moving towards the sound. I throw myself in front of the door, my arms outstretched protectively. She freezes, looking at me suspiciously. "What's in there, Freddie?" I desperately try to come up with an excuse.

"I…I have…You see…" I fumble and she folds her arms across her chest. A crazy idea suddenly comes to me, crazy enough that it might actually work. I step to the side and jerk the bathroom door open. Sam gives a cry of surprise, trying to back away. I grab her hand and pull her to stand next to me. My mom's eyes bulge and her mouth sags open. "Sam's hungry." I announce. My mom's face turns a tomato red and she turns her deadly glare on the girl standing next to me. Sam shrinks towards me, my mother's fury rivaling mine from this morning.

"What. Is. _She_. Doing. _Here_." My mom speaks one word sentences through her clenched teeth. I remember my perfect excuse that was most of the truth.

"She's sick and with the flooding she couldn't get home." I look at Sam pointedly and she coughs convincingly. My mom's eyes narrow, but she seems a little less upset.

"Why was she in your bathroom?"

"She's throwing up too. I think she's starting to get over it. Probably just a 24 hour bug." I lie smoothly.

"I haven't thrown up in a few hours." Sam says pathetically, making her voice raspy. My mom's face softens but she looks at our intertwined hands with suspicion. I quickly release Sam's hand and take a step away from her, catching my mom's glare before she wipes the emotion off of her face. Fear clouds my chest when she motions for Sam to follow her out of the room.

Sam POV 6:15PM Day 5

The next two hours are a hell of needles, tests, and medicines. I glare at Freddie whenever his insane mom isn't looking at me. His expression is pained, almost like he's suffering with me, which makes me feel a little better. In the end, after all of that, the crazy chick gives me a clean bill of health! My stomach growls impatiently and Freddie offers to go buy me some ham. It would be the least he could do for me after lying and subjecting me to this. He lied surprisingly well, something that I found strangely pleasing. I had rubbed off on him after all.

"Nah, I'll just go to Carly's." I frown. "I'm surprised that she hasn't been over here already." Freddie nods in agreement, holding his door open for me and opening Carly's door before I can. I don't acknowledge the gesture because it brings up a fierce desire to just look at him. I shake my head, forcing myself to keep my eyes off of him. I needed to get over him…even if I didn't want to. Carly is sitting on her couch, watching Girly Cow. She immediately jumps to her feet when we walk in and she runs to me.

"Are you okay Sam? What happened? Why was Freddie carrying you?" Her questions come out like the rapid fire on a machine gun. She pulls me into a tight hug and I laugh appreciatively at her concern.

"I'm fine now, Carls. The explanation is long and super boring so let's just skip it, ok?" I say hopefully. Carly pulls out of the hug and glares at me. Electricity shoots through me and I do my best not to react. I look down at my hand and see Freddie's hand brush mine lightly, probably accidently. I force myself to turn back to Carly.

"Basically I was stupid, ran out into the rain, got hypothermia and got better. The end." Carly rolls her eyes and pushes me down to sit on the couch. Her movement separates my hand from Freddie's and I have to resist the urge to move closer to him. I take a deep breath to focus because Carly obviously wants more detail.

"Now tell me every word that was spoken." Carly demands. I'm going to have to lie, which I really hate to do to Carly. I decide to lie as little as possible.

"Well, I ran out into the rain and I could hear someone (I leave out the part that I would recognize Freddie's voice anywhere, anytime.) yelling my name." Freddie settles on the coffee table, listening with interest. "So, I was running and I felt someone grab me around the waist. Freddifer was….upset….and he yelled at me."

"Upset? Try furious! I also seem to remember that you were soaked to the bone at this point, shivering and chattering like crazy." He says, accusing with a faint hint of anger. I ignore him and continue.

"So he gave me his jacket and we tried to run in the rain together but it didn't really work out so well." I return his accusing glare, like it was his fault we hadn't been able to run. My expression softens when I open my mouth to speak again.

"He carried me ten blocks." I whisper, feeling an unfamiliar stabbing sensation in my chest. It felt like a mixture between gratitude, love, and... resentment. Love was the most painful, especially sitting next to the girl he really loved. Gratitude was unfamiliar and almost…foreign. I couldn't tell you why, but at that moment, I hated that Freddie had saved my life. Carly's eyes bulge and I'm pretty sure she would have done a spit take if she was drinking something. Her eyes flicker between me and something else, most likely Freddie.

"He carried you. Ten blocks….oh my god." Carly says, still recovering. "How many times did you have to stop?" she asks, addressing Freddie.

"Not once. I ran the whole way." He says, his voice filled with all of the concern he had felt. I flinch, looking down. I had hurt him and he had quite possibly saved my life. The fact that someone had to save my life is pushing me towards anger. How could I let myself be so weak?

"You ran the…the whole time? Ten blocks?" Carly asks, unbelieving. Freddie laughs to break the tension in the room.

"You seem to be under the impression that Sam is actually heavy." I picture Freddie's smirk while studying the pattern of the couch.

"But ten blocks? That's a mile, at least." Carly says, still not grasping something that's so obvious. I clear my throat and look up at her.

"He was worried about me. It made him stronger. Adrenaline rush, you know." I whisper, strangling a pillow in my hands. Carly looks at me, a strange expression clouding her features. It looks like a mixture of worry and curiosity, two emotions that I was beginning to hate. I clear my throat and refuse to let my voice catch. "So we got back and I was really, really cold. Like freezing cold. He told me to go change into some warm clothes." I look down at Carly's borrowed sweats and shirt. "Oh, can I borrow some clothes?" I ask her. Carly waves her hand dismissively, urging me to continue. I think about Freddie's hug and look at him, asking permission. He shrugs, looking pointedly at Carly and I notice her glare. She had caught me editing the story. "Well, then he hugged me and told me to never ever do that again." I scoff, trying to counteract the way Carly's eyes light up in smug suspicion. Her eyes dart between us, almost like she's waiting for one of us to give something away. Her eyes focus on me when I open my mouth again. "So, I changed clothes and Freddie changed clothes. He came up to get me and make sure I wasn't disobeying him because he was 'in charge'" I make tiny quotations around the 'in charge' just to annoy Freddie. He rolls his eyes and leans forward to speak.

"Sam was shivering and chattering so bad that I wanted to make sure she got warm as quickly as possible." He explains calmly. I raise my eyebrows and frown. That had sounded…really sweet. I couldn't make fun of really sweet. "I noticed the power was out when I tried to turn up the heat."

"He cussed. Loudly." I interject. Carly looks at Freddie in shock.

"You cussed? Freddie Benson doesn't cuss…except when Sam is in trouble." Her look of shock turns into that stupid little knowing grin. I feel my cheeks burning and I look down. My chest wrenches painfully as I think of how far off she is. Freddie was just being my best friend, nothing more. He probably would have torn the thermostat out of the wall if it had been Carly. I hear Freddie clear his throat and continue.

"Sam wanted to sleep really badly, but someone that cold has to have blankets or something to stay warm." He explains, remembering. I look up, feeling a little heat lingering in my cheeks.

"I almost fell asleep on the couch." I narrow my eyes at him, remembering my almost sleep. "He kept waking me up." He rolls his eyes.

"Sam wasn't in any shape for walking so I carried her again."

"How exactly did you carry Sam? Piggy back? Over your shoulder?" Carly wonders. Freddie and I exchange a look. Carly's going to love this.

**Haha****! Little ****cliffe**** there. So...did you like it? Did you hate it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? Probably when Freddie pulls Sam out of the bathroom in front of his mom! I LOVED writing that part!**

**Just saw ****iBeat**** The Heat this morning... I can't be the only ****Seddier**** that was disappointed with that episode.**

**AHHHHHHH! Thanks to my amazingly fantastical (that's probably not a word...) reviewers that helped me break 100 REVIEWS****: Kpfan72491, xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, ****Ironish**** Rose, ****Mystapleza****, ****Gabsikle****, CandyRox12, Castle-of-Bones, icecoffee18, x3 sierra, ****Seddielovergrl****, Autumn, ****Lanter****, and razberrie21!**

**So...thanks a bunch for reading! You haven't got to click that review button in a whole week so I'll just leave you to it! :D**


	12. She Can't Prove Anything

**Hello my awesome readers and (pretty please?) reviewers! Are you ready for the ****Seddie****?**

Sam POV (continued)

"Uhh…well it seemed like the easiest. It was the first one that came to mind…" Freddie trails off and I glare at him. Why would he say that the first he thought of when he wanted to carry me was bridal style? Carly would definitely think there's some hidden meaning there. It hurt me that it didn't have any hidden meaning at all.

"Not helping, Fredwad!" I hiss at him. Carly looks between me and Freddie, confusion fast becoming frustration.

"Did you carry Sam the same way both times?" she asks Freddie. He nods and I groan. This is going to be bad. "Then why is it such a big deal? The first way you thought to carry Sam can't be _that _bad." I shake my head in disagreement, watching as Freddie mirrors my groan from a few seconds ago. He's starting to see the fallout from this. He can't have the girl that he's in love with think that he feels anything towards me. Carly slams her hand on the coffee table, making both of us jump. "Tell me how you carried Sam!" She demands.

"I put one arm under her knees and another arm on her back. The first time she put her arms around my neck but the second time she was too tired to. " He says quickly, obviously hoping that she won't recognize it. Carly thinks for about a second and then she lunges forward, gasping. I slowly turn my eyes to Freddie.

"Nice going." I say sarcastically. He shrugs and I automatically shrink towards him when Carly turns to look at us. Her eyes are careful to conceal any emotion she might be feeling.

"The first thing you thought of when you wanted to carry Sam was bridal style?" Carly asks, her words growing increasingly shriller and faster the longer she talks. Freddie nods his head. "Show me!" Carly pleads. I shake my head vigorously, ignoring her plea. I feel a warm hand on my wrist send a tingle of awareness through me as I'm being pulled to my feet.

"Well, being the good friend I am, I picked Sam up like this." It takes me a second to process and, when I do understand, my eyes widen in horror. Only it's already too late. Freddie crashes his arm into my knees and forces me to fall back onto his other hand. He lifts me against him easily.

"You jerk." I hiss through my teeth, folding my arms across my chest. "Put me down NOW or you're going to need your stupid first aid kit!" I threaten, glaring daggers. He meets my glare with an easy smile. His eyes speak clearly, daring me to follow through on my empty threat. I glare back steadily, suddenly caught in chocolate. I can't force myself to look away and I really don't want to. My anger fades and a dull hopelessness fills me. Why was I doing this to myself? Why couldn't I just give up? The problem was I had already given up on any possibility of Freddie and I, yet I still loved him. I wished I could just be his friend/enemy (depending on the situation). Less pain and confusion for both parties that way. I hear someone clear their throat and look towards the sound in confusion. Carly, looking very smug, is obviously wondering what just happened.

"Staring contest. You made me lose." I lie, hopefully convincingly. "Put me down." I tell Freddie, not really wanting him to. He obliges, looking a little out of it. Probably wondering why I was staring at him all creepy. I collapse next to Carly and he continues.

"So, I carried Sam and put her down on-." He falters, looking at me for help. It's clearly going to complicate things if Carly finds out that I slept in Freddie's bed. Even worse if she finds out that we shared the bed. Worst case she finds out that we accidently cuddled. I shudder at Carly's possible reaction to that one. I stare back, my eyes telling him what I thought. He nods his head once in acknowledgment and turns back to Carly. "I put her on the couch. I got her a bunch of blankets, a beanie and some socks to keep her warm while she slept. I took her temperature every few hours to make sure she was ok. We both got hungry this morning so we had pop tarts." He shrugs. "We were tired and went back to sleep." Carly glare flickers between Freddie and I, somehow detecting the lie.

"Sam went back to sleep on the couch and you slept on the floor?" she asks almost sarcastically. I exchange a brief look with Freddie before he continues.

_Keep going. She can't prove anything. _I tell him silently.

"Yeah." Freddie says, frowning at Carly's scowl. Carly still doesn't believe us. I was very surprised when she did the most unCarlyish thing ever: she let it go.

"Well, then let's watch some Girly Cow. The power came back on a few minutes before you got here." She says easily, reaching for the remote. I can't help but notice that I'm leaning towards Freddie. Again. It's not a conscious or voluntary movement; instead it's an insistent pull far outside of my control. I grind my teeth together, ignoring my aching chest as I lean away from him. My stomach growls impatiently and I get up, heading to the fridge to raid for some food. We spend the next hour or two watching old reruns of Carly's favorite TV show. I eat an entire platter of ham by myself, trying to ignore Carly. Half the time she's trying to get me to switch seats with her so I can sit next to Freddie, and the other half she's glaring at me for refusing to switch seats with her. Eventually I give a tiny shout of frustration at Carly's behavior, rising from the couch and heading towards the door. I skid to a stop when Freddie plants himself in front of me. It's obvious from his expression that he hadn't picked up on Carly's not so subtle behavior and is wondering what's wrong. I narrow my eyes to slits and irrational anger pulses through me.

"Move, Benson or I'll make you move." I threaten, trying not to push him out of the way because that means touching him. Touching Freddie is something that I crave too much for my own good.

"Where are you going?" he asks, unabashed by my harsh tone.

"Home. Is that ok with you?" I ask, mocking him. His eyes tighten and for once I can't read the emotion in them.

"Am I-." He backtracks. "Are we going to see you tomorrow?" I raise my eyebrows.

"It's iCarly tomorrow night, right?" I give in, shouldering him out of my way and doing my best not to over think the electricity that fills my veins with fire. I slam the door behind me for effect, smiling grimly to myself.

Freddie POV 9:35PM Day 5

I wince when Sam slams the door and slowly turn back to face Carly. Her face is set in frustration and she sighs. I'm starting to get the slight dullness that I usually feel whenever I'm not around Sam. It seems that since I've been around her for a whole day, it's going to be worse than usual.

"I've got to go, Carly. See you tomorrow." I say weakly, closing the door before she can respond.

Carly POV 9:40PM Day 5

Freddie closes the door behind him, obviously down about something. It wasn't really a mystery that Sam and Freddie were upset because the other was upset. No, the mystery was why they were upset in the first place. It was frustrating beyond belief to know that they both were in pain because they weren't together. I sigh, pulling out my pear phone and going to my Seddie picture folder. A smile tugs at my lips as I look at my two pictures. The first is from this afternoon, the unbelievably sweet one where they're cuddling. The second shows Freddie holding Sam bridal style, one arm under her knees and the other supporting her back. Sam's arms are crossed stubbornly, but her head rests against his chest. The most disturbing part of the entire picture is that they're staring at each other with a mixture of the most intense longing but also of defeat, like they've already given up on any possibility of being together. Sam's eyes especially carry the defeated look as she stares up at Freddie. I put my phone away, more determined than ever to get Sam and Freddie together. Even if it kills me. Which, considering the couple, it just might.

**Carly's at it again! What will she possibly do with the pictures? So...was it completely Seddie? Or was it completely suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Thanks to all of the reviewers who found my story again after a week of no updates! You guys (and girls) are amazing: xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, ****Seddielovergrl****, ****xBeckyBooHerex****, ****Gabsikle****, Kpfan72491, ****Mystapleza****, razberrie21, ****smileyface****, icecoffee18, Autumn, and Ben!**

**TO BEN: SPELL CHECK HAS FAILED ME! lolz... Yes, it is spelled wrong and thanks for catching it and telling me so I can be on the lookout for it while I'm editing. Little known fact? I am one of the worst spellers in the entire world (not kidding) and the only thing that makes my stories readable is spell check. :)**

**Want more ****iShakespeare****? I've been adding some Sneak Peeks to my profile from coming chapters if you want to go check it out. They are NOT in chronological order and out of context (so don't make TOO many assumptions) but there are some pretty good lines in there.**

**Well...that's just about it! Thanks so much for reading and I know you want to review so I'll just leave you to it! :)**


	13. Flaws

**Here's Chapter 13! Remember to review because it lets me know what you like (and what you hate) so that I can make future chapters even better! Enjoy!**

Sam POV 10:00PM Day 5

I lay on my back and stare up at the ceiling, thinking. Freddie wasn't perfect. He had to have flaws, right? I was going to have to get over him and finding his flaws seemed like the best way to start. The first thing that's wrong with Freddie is that he's a complete momma's boy. I frown, already discounting this because it's not really his fault that his mom is insane. Plus he had recently began to stand up for himself and gained more independence than I would have thought possible. I think about how Freddie's a complete nerd and he knows way too much about computers. My frown deepens. I tried to imagine a stupid Freddie that was technologically crippled, failing completely. I rise into a sitting position and push myself to lean against my headboard. I realize that I actually _like_ that Freddie was smart and I had learned a lot about computers from him. Of course I hadn't admitted it, but I actually found computers pretty interesting. I laugh quietly to myself, realizing how much of a hypocrite I would be if I held the computer thing against Freddie. My eyes catch on a photo sitting on my dresser. I rise to my feet and pick it up carefully. Here was the deepest evidence, the most obvious reason why Freddie wouldn't ever see me as the way I saw him. Freddie's only flaw was his never say die attitude towards love. My hands squeeze the picture frame and I stare down at the reminder I had placed in my room exactly for this reason. Freddie and Carly, back when they were dating, his arm around her shoulders and Carly leaning into him. I hear a roaring in my ears and I set the picture down roughly, almost breaking the frame. Staggering back to my bed, I collapse and bury my face in my pillow. I don't cry, instead suffering silently as I remember every moment since I ran outside the theater yesterday. For some reason, my brain takes me back to Romeo and Juliet. To my intense surprise, I find that I'm actually jealous of Juliet. Even though so many things separated them, Romeo loved her enough to risk everything. Juliet got the guy, a guy that was willing to die for her. My laugh is off, but then again so is my entire life right now. I, Sam Puckett, was jealous of Juliet Capulet.

Freddie POV 6:00PM Day 6

I pick up my camera, focusing it on Sam and Carly as I begin to count down.

"In five, four, three, two…" I cue them and Carly greets the audience. I keep my eyes on Sam the entire time, shifting the camera as needed. They do a few bits, mostly improv because we didn't meet to come up with ideas this week. My thoughts distract me, pulling me away from the present. I had always thought that I had loved Carly and was just going to wait until she came around. Getting over Carly had been hard, but anything I had felt for her had faded to friendship soon after I had kissed Sam and we had broken up. Comparing my current feelings for Sam and my old feelings for Carly, I find small differences that make me wonder if I had ever truly loved Carly. With Carly, I used to have a passing thought about her or only think about her when I was with her. With Sam, it was a constant flow of thoughts that barely allowed me to focus on anything else. With Carly, it had been pleasant to hug her and look at her whenever I was with her. With Sam, it was like I needed to see her and touch her, just to reassure myself that she was real. When I had saved Carly's life, it was because I couldn't stand the thought of being without her. I hadn't felt any of the anger that I had felt when Sam had almost died, instead only relief. When I had saved Sam's life, it had been like I was the one that was dying. I was still furious that she had risked her life like that, trying to hide it until it went away. To be honest, all the little differences scared the crap out of me. If it was hard to get over Carly, than it would be almost impossible to get over Sam. I'm jerked back to the present as Sam starts to sign off.

"Well that's it for tonight." Sam says sadly, pouting at the camera. I discover a goofy smile plastered on my face from her cute pout. I shake my head, shifting the camera to Carly.

"Actually, we have one more thing tonight." Carly says. Sam and I look at her in confusion. "Thursday afternoon, Freddie saved Sam's life." she tells the camera seriously. Sam glares at her and I feel embarrassment sweep through me.

"Uh…it wasn't really like that." I say, pointing the camera at myself briefly. I shift the camera back and Carly rolls her eyes. Sam's glare slowly fades into a look of annoyance as Carly continues.

"Can you die of hypothermia?" Carly asks, trying to prove her point.

"Well, yeah but-." Sam begins, but Carly cuts her off.

"Freddie saved Sam's life." She says, smug to be proven right. I shake my head. "Do you want to tell them how it happened?" Carly asks Sam. Sam's murderous glare is back in full force.

"I ran out in the rain and Freddie made sure I didn't freeze to death." Sam says sarcastically. A chuckle escapes me and Carly turns to look at me, annoyed.

"Switch to the B camera, Freddie." Carly tells me before turning back to look at Sam. I shrug, switching the shot and walking to stand between Carly and Sam. The pull to be near Sam is so strong that I feel like I'm lopsided. I give a little wave to the camera and look down to see Sam fold her arms across her chest stubbornly. "Now, since Sam gave such a terrible explanation, I'm going to tell the story." Carly announces. I look at her uneasily.

"Maybe that's not the best idea…" I trail off, not exactly sure why it's a bad idea. Carly nods her head, acknowledging my protest before continuing.

"Well, we had just finished rehearsing for our school play." Carly casts a sidelong look at Sam and I, clearing her throat. "A very sudden ending to rehearsal." Sam's face is pale and she's obviously thinking back to the last scene we did. I feel light headed and my heart beats double time as I remember as well. "You see, Sam and Freddie are the leads in the play. We're doing-." Carly gushes before being cut off.

"Shay." Sam says, the word a threat and a plea at the same time.

"Oh, what's the big deal Sam?" Carly's eyebrows raise to her hairline. "Unless it means something to you?" I look at Sam, hope barely rising when it's crushed.

"It doesn't mean anything." Her eyes flicker up to my face and I hide the hurt with a nod of agreement. She flinches away and shifts to stare intently at the ground.

"Our school is doing Romeo and Juliet and Sam and Freddie are the leads!" Carly gushes like only a girl can.

"Guess which one Freddie's playing." Sam says mechanically, the insult almost out of instinct. I frown at her but she keeps her eyes glued to the ground. Carly ignores Sam, continuing to gush.

"So we had just finished rehearsal and Sam wanted to get back to the apartment so bad that she ran out into a thunderstorm! I swear, the rain was so thick that you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face! Freddie went after Sam." Carly turns to look at us. "Now, I could explain the rest myself, but I'd rather see Freddie tell us." I clear my throat and try to hide my surprise.

"Uh…I guess. I ran after Sam for a few blocks before I caught up to her. Once I made sure she wasn't going to run away again, I was actually really mad at her. I mean she was just so stupid! What if something had happened to her? Does she ever think about anyone but herself?" I gag on my words when I realize that I'm ranting. I try to catch Sam's eyes to apologize, but she studies the floor carefully. I sigh, looking back at the camera. "Once I got her back to Bushwell-."

"Freddie! You skipped my favorite part!" Carly whines. Sam's eyes dart to my face quickly, absorbing my confusion. Her gaze quickly return to the floor when I try to get her to look me in the eye. "Freddie carried Sam-." Carly begins.

"Ten blocks." Sam says tonelessly. Her eyes lock on mine and we return to our easiest way of communication. I read her eyes, finding gratitude expressed clearly. I look closer, knowing that she's hiding something. Was it guilt? Hurt? Resentment possibly? I'm not really sure how I'm feeling, so I can't tell what she sees in my eyes.

"Can you show us how you carried Sam?" Carly asks, her voice far away. Sam's eyes flicker for a brief second. I nod my head in understanding, the bizarre protectiveness striking me again. If there was one girl on the planet that needed no protection, it was Sam Puckett.

"No. Sam doesn't want to." I say firmly, cutting off all possible protests by Carly. Sam nods once in gratitude, dropping her eyes to the floor again. I tear my eyes away from her and look into the camera. "Sam was cold from the rain and I put some blankets on her, the end." I press the off button on the camera and Carly huffs in disappointment.

"Anyone up for smoothies?" Sam asks, heading towards the studio door. Still disappointed, Carly grabs her jacket and we follow Sam.

**So...some deep thinking in this chapter. Did you think it was completely awesome? Did you think it was completely lame? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Thanks to my marvelous reviewers from last chapter! You're the best! Thanks to: ****Gabsikle****, xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, Clara Powell, ****Ironish**** Rose, ****Seddielovergrl****, Kpfan72491, icecoffee18, Autumn, and CandyRox12!**

**TO AUTUMN: There were ****some Shakespeare references in this chapter, but it will be a few more chapters before we get back to rehearsals.**

**My fav part of the chapter? I don't know if you guys (and girls) caught it because I didn't have Sam's POV for the webshow, but it's so sad that Sam says that it means nothing to her because she's convinced that it's what Freddie wants to hear. Freddie agrees with her because he thinks that it's what Sam wants to hear. I also liked writing Sam and Freddie's thoughts. Did you like these parts? Did you hate them? One word: REVIEW! :)**

**Hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading!**


	14. I'm Not Carly

**BIG PLOT POINTS THIS CHAPTER! Can you find them all? Tell me in your review! :D**

Carly POV 8:00PM Day 6

I watch Sam and Freddie, frustrated beyond belief. We've been here for about fifteen minutes and they've been staring at each other for almost the whole time. I'm starting to think that they can sustain an entire conversation with just facial expressions and reading each other's eyes. Maybe they only ever speak out loud for my benefit. I silently pull my pear phone out and snap a picture, no flash and no sound. I look at it for a minute before adding it to the Seddie folder. Sam and Freddie's stools are swiveled towards each other and they almost look like they're being pulled forward involuntarily. A smile twitches across my lips at the looks they're exchanging; I know I have no hope of translating them. I take a long pull on my smoothie, making a loud sucking sound when I hit bottom. Sam and Freddie blink like they're coming out of a trance, startled by the sound. Noticing their close proximity, they both lean away and swivel their stools to face me.

"So, what were you two talking about?" I ask, putting my pear phone back in my pocket.

"Mostly about school Monday. Thanks to Freddie's intervention, it won't be a complete hell." Sam says acidly. She stabs her straw into her smoothie violently and shoots me a look of pure malice. I raise my eyebrows, feigning confusion.

"Whatever could you mean Sam?" I ask sarcastically. I wipe the confused expression off my face, becoming sympathetic. "Just kidding. Do you really think it's going to be that bad?" I ask, honestly curious. Sam looks at me like I'm stupid.

"Duh! You announce that Fredweird saved my life and then withhold the juicy details? Wendy's going to kill all of us on Monday. I hope she starts with you." Sam says viciously. Freddie sips his smoothie quietly, his eyes not focused on anything in particular.

"I'm really sorry, Sam. I didn't know it would upset you so much. I won't mention it again, I promise." I apologize. Sam raises her eyebrows skeptically.

"It was supposed to be just between the three of us and you still had no problem spilling your guts on the show tonight. Why should I believe you?" The guilt weighs me down and I look at Sam so she can see it.

"I didn't realize that it would upset you so much. I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you on purpose. Will you please forgive me?" I beg sincerely, knowing I had been in the wrong. Sam nods her head slowly, reluctantly accepting. "What do you want to do tomorrow?" I ask, trying to make up for upsetting her. Sam grimaces, taking a sip of her smoothie.

"My mom and I are going to see my cousins tomorrow. Robby just got out of prison." She says, her tone regretful. Freddie snaps out of his thoughts.

"We aren't going to see you tomorrow?" He asks. Sam nods absently, adjusting the straw in her smoothie. Freddie angrily stabs his straw into his smoothie, but Sam doesn't notice because her phone is vibrating.

"Crap! Mom let Frothy into the leftovers again! See you Monday!" Sam says, grabbing her smoothie and waving as she hurries out the door. Freddie begins to squeeze his smoothie cup, almost like he's trying to break it, while he watches Sam leave. He must feel my eyes burning into him because he focuses on me after the door closes behind Sam. I rest my cheek on my palm, my expression innocent.

"How long?" I ask softly. Freddie looks at me nervously. I notice that his death grip on the smoothie tightens.

"How long what?" He counters, sipping his smoothie. There were a lot of ways to clarify that question. How long was he going to keep this up? How long had it taken for him to realize that he didn't like me anymore? Instead, I pick the question I desperately wish that Sam could be here to hear the answer to.

"How long have you liked Sam?"

Freddie POV 8:20PM Day 6

I feel like I've been punched in the gut and all the air leaves my body in the aftermath of Carly's question. I frantically decide how best to answer her question. I'd promised not to keep anything from Carly (look how well I was doing with that), but I was already keeping this from Sam. It would definitely be better if neither of them knew. I don't know how Sam would react if she found out that I loved her. She might be so disgusted by the thought that she wouldn't even want to be my friend anymore. That possibility alone was enough to make me lie to Carly.

"I don't like Sam." I say. I'm not technically lying since there is a difference between like and love. Carly scoffs and I grip my smoothie tighter.

"Good luck with that one, Romeo." She rises to her feet, throwing her smoothie cup away in a nearby trash can. "When you're ready to talk about it, I'm here." She reassures me, her expression sympathetic. I don't give any sign that I've heard her, sitting frozen with my eyes staring straight ahead. Carly sighs and I'm vaguely aware of her leaving. I thought about the whole day without Sam tomorrow. I groan and finally succeed in crushing my smoothie cup. Fortunately, it was already empty and nothing spills on the table. I get to my feet, throwing the cup away with more heat then was necessary. I was dreading the whole day without Sam, already knowing that it would belackluster.

Sam POV 6:50AM Day 8

I close the door behind me and take a moment to look at the house I shared with my mom and whatever boyfriend she was currently with. It was a surprisingly nice house, five bedrooms and four bathrooms. My favorite part of the whole house was my balcony, raised about fifteen feet off of the ground and with enough room for a tiny grill to cook meat. My dad's life insurance had been hefty, and this house was the result. I sigh, turning my back on the house and walking briskly towards school. My house was even closer to Ridgeway than Carly's apartment, being only 15 blocks away. I shiver in the cold morning air, shuddering when I remember the last time I had shivered. My head gives a particularly painful throb, just like it has been since the moment I walked out of the Groovy Smoothie Saturday night. I could already tell that today was going to be horrible. I'm so focused on my thoughts that it takes me a while to notice the person in step next to me. I jump when I finally see Freddie, my headache immediately disappearing and becoming an insistent pull to look at him. I stop in my tracks and Freddie copies me. I stare up at him, silently wondering why he's walking me to school. His eyes darken for a brief second before returning to their regular chocolate. I nod, both happy and depressed to understand. Freddie was walking me to school to help himself stay in character for the play, nothing more. We had 'talked' (using our eyes and facial expressions) about this for a little Saturday night, but I didn't really think he would do it. I begin walking again and Freddie follows my lead. He holds the door to Ridgeway open a few minutes later and I slip inside. Most of the hallway pauses to stare at us and I roll my eyes, going to my locker. Freddie follows me, leaning against Carly's locker patiently while I trade my books. It doesn't help that every two seconds I'm fighting the urge to look up at him, but he seems oblivious. I'm just closing my locker when I hear footsteps approaching from behind me. I automatically turn to face the sound, moving back to stand in front of Freddie. Wendy looks like she's about to have a seizure as she looks between us.

"So, it's true? You saved Sam?" she addresses Freddie. I look at him, silently acknowledging that he had saved my life. His eyebrows scrunch together. I project sincerity but he scoffs under his breath, a clear thought.

_Don't tell her that._

I shrug and turn back to an expectant Wendy.

"Fredison saved my life. So what?" I pray that she won't overreact. It's an improbable hope. Wendy literally jumps up and down in excitement and I roll my eyes to look up at Freddie. He looks down at me smugly.

_Told you so._

I elbow him in the stomach, smirking at him. Freddie wraps one of his arms around his stomach and glares down at me. I ignore him and turn my attention back to Wendy.

"So are you two going out now?" She asks, barely containing her jumping. I look at her in shock, the first traces of longing striking me.

"How did we get from him saving my life to us going out?" I ask her, honestly curious how she had made the leap.

"Well didn't that happen with him and Carly?" Wendy clarifies. I suck in breath, trying not to show how much that had hurt. It always came back to Freddie and Carly, every single time.

"I'm not Carly." I say flatly, refusing to meet Freddie's eyes. I push past Wendy and walk in the opposite direction that I need to go for my first class.

**Poor Sam. :( So, ****lotsa**** good (or terrible, based on your opinion) quotes in this chapter! What was your favorite? I liked (even though it was sad) Sam's last sentence.**

**YOU ALL ARE SO COMPLETELY AMAZING! REVIEWERS, YOU BROKE MY RECORD! So, extra big thanks to: Kpfan72491, Julietta, ****Mystapleza****, ****Gabsikle****, ****alma****, xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, ****SpAzZy****caUse****tHaT's**** Me, Autumn, Clara Powell, ****felicarlyia****, ****Seddielovergrl****, icecoffee18, o b v i o u s l y . s a r a h, soundwavesuperior17, angelrock444, and ccchat8! You want a special shout out like these people? Just gotta review! :D**

**To Julietta: I'm really happy that you like it! Your English is good enough for me! :)**

**To ****alma****: I love to update every day (even though I may slow down in the next few weeks) because I know how hard it is to wait in suspense for that next chapter!**

**To Autumn: Hopefully Carly's apology was okay this chapter. I was trying to make her as annoying as possible last chapter, so I guess I succeeded! ****lolz****... **

**Thanks you SO MUCH for reading and *FINGERS CROSSED* reviewing! :D**


	15. You're Not Invincible

**Hello my amazing readers and (pretty please with a cherry on top?) reviewers! Here's Chapter 15, so enjoy!**

Freddie POV 6:50AM Day 8

I watch Sam walk away, heading the wrong way for her first class. Her hands are clenched into fists and it almost looks like she's trying to escape. The idea of going out with me must have made her sick. Her last words echo in my head on a loop, forcing me to think about it. Sam wasn't Carly, not by a long shot. Sam was infinitely better.

"Do you want to go out with Sam?" Wendy's question brings me back to the present and I look down at her for a brief second before heading off in the opposite direction as Sam. Of course I want to go out with Sam. I just have no wish to be crushed by her when she figures out that I'm in love with her.

Wendy POV 6:55AM Day 8

I watch Freddie walk away, throwing my arms up in the air. Was it really so difficult to answer my questions? They should both know that, if my questions go unanswered, there's a possibility of me spreading a rumor. As the head gossip at Ridgeway, I hold myself to a higher standard than that. I shake my head and walk over to a group of seven girls, eight including me. They stand in a loose circle, ready to speak. I join them, pointing at Tasha to go first.

"Gibby took me to the Groovy Smoothie Saturday night and I saw them there." I lean forward with interest. "It was one of the weirdest things. They were totally staring at each other, but it wasn't like they were checking each other out. It almost looked like they were talking, but with no words!" Tasha leans back, nodding her head to the babble of questions. I resist the urge to roll my eyes at her unintentional valley girl accent.

"Okay, okay." I say, and everyone quiets down immediately. "Lacy, you said that you had something." A girl with straight blond hair perks up.

"I didn't see them in person, but I did watch iCarly this week." She moves her purse in front of her and pulls out a few pieces of paper. She holds them against her chest, blank side up. "It got me thinking. What position could Freddie carry Sam in that would be so embarrassing? What position could Freddie hold Sam in for a whole mile? What position could he shield her from the rain the best?" Lacy raises her eyebrows for effect. "I printed out three possible positions he could have carried her in. "Number one, the Fireman's lift." She flips her picture over. It shows a guy wrapped around another guy's shoulders. I shake my head, clearly dismissive. Lacy nods her head and pulls out her next picture. "Number two, over the shoulder." It's an image of a girl with the upper half of her body over the guy's shoulder and the lower half still in view. I shrug my shoulders, uncertain. "Now this last one is definitely the most likely. It would explain why they didn't want to show it to the entire web." She squeals, flipping the picture over. Every girl gasps jumps up and down in excitement. It was just so perfect! I take the picture from Lacy and a hush comes over all of my gossip girls.

"Number three, bridal style." I whisper. All of the girls erupt again and I silently put the photo in my purse for later. We had all been waiting for Sam and Freddie to get together for years and now was the time to take action. I know just who I need to talk to.

Carly POV 12:00PM Day 8

"Come on Sam, it's just a rehearsal!" Freddie says, tugging on Sam's arm.

"No! Lunch is a time for enjoying food!" Sam protests, trying to jerk her arm back. Freddie grips her arm tighter and pulls her closer to him.

"You can eat after the rehearsal! Please, Sam?" Freddie pleads, using his big brown eyes to their full effect. Sam averts her eyes, not wanting to be sucked in.

"No!" she says stubbornly. Freddie's face lights up for a second before a smirk steals across his face. Sam and Freddie are in their own little world, oblivious to the crowd that has formed to watch them fight.

"Do I have to carry you?" Freddie threatens, his smirk growing. Sam's eyes narrow and her hands ball into fists, shaking his grip off of her arm.

"You wouldn't dare." Sam's tone is low and deadly, but her voice catches slightly in uncertainty. Freddie easily picks up on the catch in her voice, grinning mischievously.

"Why wouldn't I?" As always, they continue to move closer to each other as they argue, separated by less than a foot. Freddie's breath sweeps across Sam's face and she blinks, pushing him away.

"I'll punch you Benson. I swear to god I'll punch you!" Sam's voice grows louder in panic as Freddie begins to bend down. He thinks for a minute, weighing the consequences.

"Okay. I won't carry you if you come to the rehearsal willingly." He bargains, still bent over. Sam crosses her arms across her chest stubbornly.

"We've been through this! Lunch is a time for food!" Sam yells, raising her fist threateningly. "How about if you try to carry me I punch you so hard that you see stars!" Freddie smirks and places his hand on his chin, mock thinking.

"I guess I'll just have to sacrifice my body for the play." He says innocently. Before Sam can react, he copies his technique from Friday. His arm crashes into her knees, forcing them to buckle. He catches Sam by her back in her other arm and lifts her against his chest. Sam's eyes burn with murderous rage and she draws her hand back. I hear a loud smacking sound and I stare between the two in confusion. Freddie's cheek splotches red and you can see the outline of Sam's palm clearly. That's when she buries her fist in his stomach, with more anger than I'd ever seen her pack in a punch. Freddie gives a gasp of pain and glares down at Sam. "What the hell Puckett? Do you want me to drop you?" He yells, every bit as angry as Sam. She folds her arms across her chest, glowering up at him.

"Put. Me. Down." Sam demands, her icy blue eyes filled with burning anger.

"Hell no! After all that chiz, I'm going to carry you to rehearsal! If you punch me again, I'll drop you." Freddie threatens and Sam's eyes dart around, looking for an escape. Her eyes settle on the ground, probably noticing just how far it was. Freddie pushes through the stunned crowd and I trail behind him, close enough to hear their conversation.

"I'm never, ever going to forgive you for this." Sam says, her voice low. Freddie shrugs as he walks through the door of the cafeteria. Gasps and shocked looks from every single direction track Freddie's progress as he crosses to the other side of the cafeteria. I see one of Wendy's gossipers, Emily, run off to report. I roll my eyes, already recognizing the buzz that would come from this.

"I don't really care. You wouldn't listen to me." Freddie replies, doing his best to keep the anger out of his voice. I see Sam's blond curls shift and I assume that she's looking up at him.

"When did you grow a backbone?" Sam asks, just as shocked as the boy who drops his lunch tray to the ground when he sees Freddie carrying Sam. Freddie shrugs, kicking open the door to the theater.

"Probably about the time I realized that you're not invincible." Freddie sets her on her feet carefully, pulling away as quickly as possible. Sam looks up at him, obviously surprised. He shrugs her gaze away and hurries towards the stage. Sam hesitates, sighing before she follows. I choose a seat at the back of the theater, deciding to wait until they get out of rehearsal so I could eat lunch with them. I reflect on the scene they had just created. First they got in a huge fight, nothing unusual except for the extra layer of tension and fierce anger between them. Then Freddie carried Sam all the way to the theater, against her will. Why had he cared about the stupid rehearsal so much? Why had Sam been so determined not to give in? I sense movement behind me but I don't turn to face her.

"Hello, Wendy." I say, staring at the stage. Freddie and Sam walk on, Ms. Esposito lecturing them about something. Wendy slides into the seat next to me.

"Hi Carly." We watch silently as Ms. Esposito tasks Sam and Freddie with performing the balcony scene. I notice Wendy lean forward in her seat eagerly out of the corner of my eye. I'm almost ashamed when I find myself in a similar position. Almost.

**Confession Time: The whole time I was writing and editing Sam and Freddie's fight I was listening to Hot N Cold by Katy Perry! This song will fit their relationship (kinda being bipolar, aren't they?) in future chapters.**

**So...did you love it? Did you hate it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :( My fav part of this chapter? Either Sam asking Freddie when he grew a backbone (and his response), or Wendy's gossip girls. You are going to be seeing TONS of Wendy and her gossip girls in future chapters...trust me, I hate them too. :( But they are fun to write for and a key element in my story, so go ahead and flame them in your review cuz I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU!**

**YOU ALL ARE THE BEST REVIEWERS ON ALL OF FAN FICTION! YOU BROKE MY RECORD AGAIN! So HUGE thanks to: Ironish Rose, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, virgoleo23, o b v i o u s l y . s a r a h, Gabsikle, ccchat8, Autumn, Kpfan72491, CookieLivcat, alma, Clara Powell, Julietta, Seddielovergrl, icecoffee18, seddieshiper XD, LoLTwilightLover124, coketree20, Mystapleza, CandyRox12, and angels.! I LOVE to get reviews cuz they make my day so please keep it up!**

**TO AUTUMN: Which reference did you notice last chapter? I left a few! :)**

**TO ALMA: Yep, Freddie was missing Sam last chapter! So cute! I won't slow down too much, just maybe a new chapter every two days or something... I haven't decided yet.**

**TO JULIETTA: Google is awesome! How do you think I passed Spanish? ;)**

**TO SEDDIESHIPER XD: I have OSD (obsessive seddie disorder) too! It made me laugh when I read about your mom wanting you to go outside and 'play'! LOLZ...**

**TO CANDYROX12: That's such a huge compliment! It's an honor to inspire a fellow Seddie lover to go write a fanfic! :D**

**NO NEW CHAPTER TOMORROW CUZ I'M GONNA BE BUSY! NEW CHAPTER UP SUNDAY!**

**That's about it! Thanks a bunch for reading and (hopefully) reviewing! :)**


	16. Coming To Grips

**I'm back! Here's Chapter 16, so enjoy!**

**WARNING: There is some real Shakespeare in here, but I put a translation for you! :)**

Sam POV 12:15PM Day 8

"Now, now my chickens. Scene two from act two, please." Ms. Esposito instructs us before walking off to her little table in the sea of red seats. Freddie clears his throat and begins to speak. I stare at him, not really listening to his speech about Juliet. Instead, I try to come to grips with him saving my life. I was, by no stretch of the imagination, anything close to Carly. Not that Freddie would want to go out with me in the first place. A lump formed in my throat but I pushed on. I was extremely grateful towards Freddie, and always would be. Except I was also pissed with both Freddie and myself. I was mad at Freddie because he, of all the possible people, _he_ had to be the one to save my life. It was a measure of just how screwed up you were when you were mad at someone for saving your life. I was furious with myself because I should be the last girl in the world that needs help or protecting. I shake my head slightly, coming back to the present.

"O that I were a glove upon that hand,

That I might touch that cheek." Freddie finished, his voice filled with the perfect amount of longing. He really was a pretty amazing actor.

_Translation: You don't see the whole speech, but basically it's Romeo talking to himself about Juliet's beauty._

"Ay me!" I read from the script, allowing myself to inject all of my longing and fear in those two words. I wasn't afraid of much, but I knew that right now I was spending all of this time with Freddie, needing him more and more. The scary part of everything was the crash. I wasn't sure if I could handle losing all of this and going back to being Freddie's frenemie when this play was over.

_Translation: Oh dear! (Seriously did I really have to put this translation?)_

"She speaks!

O speak again bright angel, for thou art

As glorious to this night, being o'er my head,

As is a winged messenger of heaven

Unto the white-upturned wondering eyes

Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him

When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds

And sails upon the bosom of the air." Freddie's voice is quiet, speaking tenderly. I blink and force myself back to my script.

_Translation: She speaks! Oh, speak again bright angel! Being up above me, you entrance this night, as an angel seen by astonished mortals, who gaze up in astonishment._

"O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name.

And I'll no longer be a Capulet." I'm starting to find that releasing my emotions into the play is a perfect outlet. I have to pretend to be in love with him, so isn't it even better if I really am? It's also an unhealthy outlet, pulling me in deeper with every word and every look, but it's one of the few things keeping me sane right now.

_Translation: Oh, Romeo, Romeo. Why are you Romeo? Deny your father and your refuse your name and I'll no longer be a Capulet._

"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" Freddie asks himself, his eyes fixed on his script. He hasn't looked at me once yet.

_Translation: Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this? (Are you seriously reading this translation?)_

"Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

Thou art thyself, though not a Montague

What's Montague? It's nor hand nor foot

Nor arm nor face nor any other part

Belonging to a man. O be some other name.

What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would be just as sweet.

So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,

Retain that dear perfection which he owes

Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,

And for that name, which is no part of thee,

Take all myself." I speak slowly, allowing my longing to flood into each word. Of course, the circumstances are different then our situation, but it's a relief to let it out in any case.

_Translation: It's only your name that is my enemy. You'd be the same if you weren't a Montague. What's "Montague"? It's not any part of a man. Take some other name. What's in a name? What we call a rose would smell just as sweet, no matter what name we called it. If Romeo weren't called Romeo, he'd still retain his perfection without his name. Romeo, give up your name and in exchange for that name, which is not part of you, take all of me._

"I take thee at thy word.

Call me but love, and I'll be newly baptized:

Henceforth, I never will be Romeo." Freddie's voice rises, pretending to interrupt me.

_Translation: I take you at your word (he accepts)! Call me "love" and I'll be finished with "Romeo"._

"What man art thou that thus bescreeched in night,

So stumblest on my counsel?" I make my voice startled and offended, as Juliet would have been. Freddie closes space between us, speaking again.

_Translation: Who is there, hidden in the darkness, that has heard my private thoughts?_

"By a name

I know not how to tell thee who I am:

My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself

Because it is an enemy to thee.

Had I it written, I would tear the word." Freddie's voice is full of regret and his eyes dart up to catch mine for the first time.

_Translation: I don't want to tell you my name to identify myself. My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself because it is an enemy to you. If it were written, I'd tear it up._

"My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words

Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound.

Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?" I speak distantly, recalling how I can also recognize Freddie's voice under any situation. A jolt of warmth and electricity spikes through me as he suddenly reaches out to gently grip my chin. That wasn't in the script.

_Translation: I haven't heard you speak a hundred words, yet I recognize your voice. Are you not Romeo and a Montague?_

"Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike."

_Translation: Neither, fair maid, if either displeases you._

I hear clapping from the audience but I can't force myself to break Freddie's grip on my chin. The ache to touch him is relieved, swelling to fill me with heat. He's very close, our noses almost touching. Ms. Esposito's voice breaks us apart, shrill and piercing.

"Good practice, my chickens! You have five minutes of lunch left to eat. Ta, ta!" Her accent mars the words, but I can still recognize them. Ms. Esposito rearranges a few papers on her desk before leaving with one last wink in our direction. I bite my lip, careful to keep my eyes away from Freddie. The urge to kiss him had been so strong that another few seconds and I definitely would have. My legs carry me slowly off the stage and push me up the aisle. Running footsteps pound after me and Freddie catches up to me just as I'm about to leave the theater. He plants himself in front of me and I stop right before I bump into his chest. We stare at each other for a minute before he finally speaks.

"We fought." He says quietly. I nod my head, remembering our promise to keep in character. We would still argue, of course, but this argument had been different. It hadn't ended playfully and there had been an undercurrent of real anger.

"Like usual." I mutter, turning my eyes to the floor.

"No, not like usual." I look up at him but he avoids my eyes. "You're mad at me." He says slowly. His eyes lock on mine with the strangest intensity, like its life or death. "Why?"

"Well, you're mad at me. Why are you mad at me?" I say way too defensively. He scrunches his eyebrows together.

"Don't change the subject!" He yells, his hands balling into fists. I roll my eyes and fold my arms across my chest.

"Can we just forget about it? I won't be angry at you and you won't be angry at me, okay?" I propose, praying he'll take it. I'll do just about anything to keep him from finding out that I'm mad at him for saving my life. It also isn't exactly pleasing that he can carry me against my will if he felt like it. I didn't usually care what people thought about me, as long as they knew that I could take care of myself. Freddie seemed determined to ruin that. He considers me carefully, thinking. I don't even realize how close we are until I feel his breath against my face. I flinch and back away. How did I always end up a few inches from Freddie Benson's face whenever I was around him? Better question: Why the hell did I want to stay there forever, breathing him in? It was the worst kind of pathetic and I barely resist the urge to kick something.

"I..I don't know." He says, hesitating. I take a deep breath and look into his chocolate eyes.

"It's nothing. Just let it be." I whisper, hating the vulnerability that steals into my voice. I push past him, ignoring the electric tingle. I shove open the theater door and step outside into the hallway. Exhaling deeply, I try to get rid of my anger at Freddie. Yet it's still there, that nagging reminder that Freddie saved my life. I punch the wall in frustration and the sharp pain is a welcome distraction. I pull myself together, relieved that Freddie wasn't out here to see this. The annoying school bell rings and I sigh, starting to move forward. Except the familiar swing of my backpack is missing. I'd dropped it by the lockers when Freddie had picked me up. Reluctantly, I change direction and begin to head back to the lockers, pausing in surprise when I see someone already holding my backpack.

"Hey, Sam. You…uhh..looking for this?" Pete holds up my backpack, a goofy smile plastered on his face. I take it from him, laughing at his expression.

"Thanks, Pete." I say, surprised that I actually mean it. How had he got me to laugh when I had been so miserable moments ago?

"No problem."

**Wow, a whole chapter in just Sam's POV! Don't worry you'll get different POV next chapter! So...completely Seddie? Or completely suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? Hmm...so many hints to future chapters here. Did you catch the most obvious one? I liked writing out Sam's thoughts so that you could get a better idea of how mixed up she is right now.**

**OMG YOU DID IT AGAIN! YOU BROKE MY RECORD AGAIN! So, HUGE thanks to: coketree20, Kpfan72491, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, troyellaforeverr, Sky Huntress, ccchat8, Castle-Of-Bones, LoLTwilightLover124, alma, Julietta, Gabsikle, smiley face, soultaker97, Seddielovergrl, Mystapleza, icecoffee18, Clara Powell, Lanter, seddieshiper XD, Ironish Rose, Autumn, bella3590, and CookieLivcat! You guys (and girls) are amazing!**

**TO CASTLE-OF-BONES: Still kinda hot n cold aren't they? :(**

**TO ALMA: Yeah, if you watch on iCarly they do it to! Carly will be telling them to break up the argument and then they don't even hear her! :)**

**TO JULIETTA: No, I actually got a passing grade in Spanish (barely). Thank God For Google indeed! :D**

**TO SMILEYFACE: That is one of the most terrible things I've ever heard. I admire you for your strength and I really hope that, for every hardship there is now, there will be a blessing in the future. You are truly inspiring. **

**So...that's just about it! Thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW BECAUSE IT MAKES ME FEEL ALL WARM AND FUZZY INSIDE! :) If you review, than I promise to never ever say that again! :D**


	17. Jealousy

**Okay, so here's Chapter 17! Wheeeeeee! Read on my fellow Seddiers!**

Carly POV 12:20PM Day 8

I watch intently and I'm literally on the edge of my seat for the entire time that Sam and Freddie exchange words. Wendy is in a similar position and I see a smile creeping across her face from out of the corner of my eye. Freddie and Sam both sound amazing. Between the hidden meaning in each line and the measure of emotion in their voices, it's beautiful to watch. I've noticed that Sam and Freddie always seem to end up with less than a foot separating them whenever they talk.

Case in point, right now. Sam is speaking and Freddie is within a few inches of her, almost like they don't realize that they're this close together until some trigger causes them to pull away. Sam finishes speaking and, in the slight pause between lines, Freddie takes Sam's chin in his hand. I feel my eyes widen in surprise and Wendy turns to look at me with huge eyes. She turns back when Freddie begins to speak. I can barely hear the words because he's leaning closer and closer. Oh, another few inches and it's a kiss! Sam and Freddie both freeze when their noses touch and I give a sigh of disappointment. As if realizing their position for the first time, they jerk apart quickly. Ms. Esposito had said something but I'm still focused on my two best friends. Sam's up and moving swiftly down the aisle the second Ms. Esposito's last syllable is uttered. Freddie stands there, completely disoriented, for a few seconds. His eyes drift until he catches Sam's retreating figure. He's suddenly running after her and I gasp. They would kill us if they knew we were here and they're heading straight for us!

"Wendy, get down!" I hiss, ducking onto the floor. Her eyes round to saucers when she realizes our peril and she quickly drops to flatten herself next to me.

"You need to tell me what's going on with them." Wendy whispers, almost beside herself with emotion. I roll my eyes to look at her, annoyed.

"Like I know anything more than you do." I say under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear.

"You have to -.!" Wendy begins, cut off when I slap my hand over her mouth. I shush her and pull my hand away, listening intently.

"We fought." Freddie's voice is soft, almost a whisper. Wendy and I exchange a confused look. Sam and Freddie _always _fight. Sam seems to be thinking along with us.

"Like usual." Sam replies, her voice almost as quiet as Freddie's. I resist the urge to try to see their expressions, knowing it would give me away. _Something_ is going on here.

"No, not like usual. You're mad at me." Freddie pauses briefly. I imagine him searching Sam's eyes. "Why?" His voice is almost pleading, begging to understand.

"Well, you're mad at me. Why are you mad at me?" Sam shoots back a response way to quickly and with too much heat. Wendy looks at me and she mouths her observation.

_She's way too defensive!_

I nod my head. Sam must be furious with him to mess up a cover that obviously.

"Don't change the subject!" Freddie yells. I picture him stepping closer to Sam, his expression demanding.

"Can we just forget about it? I won't be angry at you and you won't be angry at me, okay?" Sam begging Freddie? Something was definitely off here. There's a long pause and I can tell that Freddie is considering it. I listen closely as shoes scuff across the carpet, either moving closer or shifting further away.

"I..I don't know." Freddie's voice is hesitant, unsure. Someone exhales loudly, probably Sam.

"It's nothing. Just let it be." I look at Wendy in shock. Sam's voice was an odd mix of hurt and fear...almost vulnerable. One of the few adjectives that I couldn't use to describe Sam was vulnerable. I'm suddenly sick with worry, wondering what could be wrong with her to upset her like this. I hear running footsteps and the theater door being pushed open. Freddie doesn't move and I flinch when the door slams violently. I listen as Freddie takes deep breaths, trying to calm himself.

"Damn it!" Freddie cusses loudly, losing his cool. He kicks a chair in front of us and it vibrates with the force. I hear his heavy footsteps storm down the aisle, towards the stage. Wendy looks at me, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open. I try to ignore her as I listen to Freddie's retreating footsteps. I get to my feet and brush myself off when the footsteps fade away completely. Wendy follows my lead, the expression frozen on her face resembling that of a goldfish. I'm still in shock as well, but I need to keep Wendy from doing her job. I grab her shoulders and force her to look at me.

"Don't tell anybody Wendy. This is Sam and Freddie's business, not ours." She opens her mouth to protest, but I just keep talking. "We can figure something out that will work for both of us. I know you feel the need to keep the school gossip fresh, but there has to be some other way. Groovy Smoothies, 4:00?" I ask her, the shock starting to fade.

"Sure Carly, but why are they mad?" Wendy, curious as always, can't resist a question. The bell saves me, ordering us to go to class. I let go of Wendy and hurry to my next class across campus. Wendy's question stays with me stubbornly, capturing my focus. Why on Earth were Freddie and Sam mad at each other? If they had been mad before their argument today then what could possibly have gone wrong? I shake my head, the possibilities overwhelming me. I know that Sam and Freddie are holding out on me, but I'm not sure what exactly they aren't telling me. _Something_ had to have happened that caused all of this. I sit at my desk in Art, still distracted. I tried to picture Sam's view of things. Freddie was in the school play with her, he was her best friend, and… I gasp loudly. I get a few curious looks but I'm still too involved in my thoughts to really care. He had saved her life. Of course! The LAST thing that Sam wanted to be was weak and she was mad that she had needed Freddie's help. I sink deeper in my chair, barely noticing that class had started. If Sam was mad at Freddie, then she was probably furious with herself as well. How messed up was that?

Freddie POV 2:30PM Day 8

I tap my foot impatiently, waiting for the bell to ring. My anger at Sam still burned strong, clouding my thoughts. I don't know why, but I'm still furious that she risked her life. I've already felt guilt for yelling at her, and it was rightful guilt. I never should have said that out loud. Yet the same angry thoughts swirled around in my head, reminding me of how she had almost taken herself away from me. Not intentionally of course, but she had still almost done it. I begin to tap my pen against my desk as well.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" I hear a familiar voice ask. I pause my tapping and turn to face him.

"I'm fine, Pete." I try to sound convincing, but it doesn't work. Pete raises his eyebrows. I decide it's time to change the subject. "So you're in the play, right?" Pete frowns, noting my subject change.

"Yeah. I'm Paris." He rolls his eyes. "Such a girl's name." I remember that Paris was going to marry Juliet and I feel cold all of a sudden.

"Hey, I know this is really personal but what happened between you and Sam? I mean she seemed psyched to go out with you and I never really heard anything." I peek hopefully at Pete and, to my relief, he smiles.

"It wasn't any big thing, man." He shrugs. "I went out with Sam once or twice but we just kinda grew apart." He frowns. "It was during the playoffs for my baseball team and Sam was worried about taking too much time for iCarly. She said that she had gone out with this one guy that had totally distracted her from the show and he had turned out to be a jerk. We weren't ever a couple, but I certainly wouldn't mind it." He bumps my arm in a friendly way. "Have you _looked _at her lately, dude?" I unclench my teeth and resist the urge to bury my fist in Pete's face. NO ONE should be able to look at Sam like that, except for me.

"Not like that. We're just friends." I force myself to sound normal, shifting so that I sit on my hands. He deserved to be punched so badly…

"You know what?" He asks. "I think I'm going to ask her out, man. I was worried about coming in between you two because it seemed like something was there, but if you're just friends then I'll ask her out. Yeah! We could go to the movies or maybe she would like somewhere else better?" He seems to be talking to himself, but now he turns to me for my opinion. White hot jealously floods me and I narrow my eyes. I feel my breathing speed up and I want to punch that stupid grin off of his face so bad…

"I don't know." I mutter through my clenched teeth.

"Maybe I'll just let her decide. Thanks for that, man. I couldn't have done it without you." Pete's grin is back in full force and he rises to his feet when the bell rings. I sit frozen in my seat, afraid to move. He couldn't have done it without me…

***Runs from angry mob of readers* I know, I know! I'm sorry! You haven't even heard what she says yet so just chill! So...was this chapter completely awesome? Or was it completely lame? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Okay, this chapter was a little bit of a fill chapter. The next chapters are gonna be action packed though! My fav part? Wendy's goldfish expression or Freddie's jealously! I just can't decide!**

**BIG NEWS: I have a little something called Summer Homework that is slowly piling up and starting to worry me a little bit. See, they cut a month off of my summer this year (Rude!) and now I have all this homework. So, what I'm going to do is update every TWO days instead of every day. When I finish my homework, then I'll go back to daily. Just wanted to let you know what's going on! :)**

**Thanks to my MAGNIFICENT reviewers from last chapter: CandyRox12, Kpfan72491, angels., SpAzZy caUse tHaT's Me, Autumn, soultaker97, smileyface, icecoffee18, alma, Clara Powell, LoLTwilightLover124, bella3590, and xx-SamxFreddie-xx! IF YOU WANT TO BE LIKE THESE AWESOME PEOPLE AND GET A SHOUT OUT, THEN JUST LEAVE ME A REVIEW! :D**

**TO CANDYROX12: Aww..Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO SPAZZY CAUSE THAT'S ME: Ms. Esposito is my best friend too! Doesn't she just seem like one of those people that's always doing something funny? :)**

**TO AUTUMN: umm...Yes. :(**

**TO SMILEYFACE: The truth is definitely better than a lie, no matter the circumstances.**

**TO ALMA: Well... I'd like to point out that she hasn't given any hint that she's interested in Pete. Read next chapter on Wednesday to see how it turns out!**

**So...that's just about it! Thanks a BILLION (way more than a million) for reading and I know that review button is looking awfully tempting, so I'll leave you to it! :D**


	18. Faking A Smile

**What's up my fellow Seddiers? You ready for Chapter 18? Read on...**

Sam POV 2:45PM Day 8

I tap my fingers on my desk nervously, not sure if Freddie would walk with me today. No matter how angry I was, I hoped he did. That simple hope pissed me off even more than I already was. What the hell was wrong with me? Regardless, I rise slowly from my seat when the bell rings shrilly. I purposely dawdle towards the door, giving him time to get here. I finally walk through the door but keep my head down. It gave off the impression that I wasn't looking for anybody. Someone falls into step beside me and I glance up at Freddie. I do a double take but keep walking to the theater.

"What's up, Pete?" His blond hair bounces in his eyes and he shortens his stride to match mine. He grins at me, but it doesn't have the same effect that it had back when I liked him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me." He says casually, like it's no big deal. I skid to a stop, trying to absorb his words.

"What?" I ask in shock and disbelief, shaking my head to calm myself down.

"Well, I was thinking that I still really like you Sam. I didn't have the courage to ask you out, but Freddie told me to go for it. Do you want to?" I close my eyes, the force of his words striking me. Freddie had set this up. It crushed all of the hopes that I hadn't even known existed, a sudden weight pushing against my chest. A lump forms in my throat and my heart gives a painful throb.

"Freddie?" I choke out. Pete's grin fades a little bit, my tone worrying him.

"Yeah. Freddie totally helped me out. He's cool." Pete reflects. He pauses awkwardly, waiting for me to answer. Numbness sweeps over me, preventing most of the hurt from reaching me. The only thing that I could feel was the painful and unsteady beat of my heart. I had never understood how you could feel actual pain in your heart after somebody breaks it, but now I was enduring it firsthand. My eyes sting, the first sign of tears. Except I would NEVER cry over a boy, especially when that boy happened to be Freddie Benson. I was Sam freakin' Puckett! Heartened by the thought, I was able to focus instead of being swept away by my numbness. I needed to get over Freddie. What better way to start than with Pete, my old crush?

"Sure, but can we wait until after the play's over? I'm really busy right now." My voice is a flat monotone. Dead. Pete doesn't notice, his face brightening.

"Awesome! Can't wait Sam." Pete's grin stretches from ear to ear. I try to smile back, but it comes out as more of a grimace. He notices and frowns at me.

"What's wrong Sam?" He asks, worried. I barely resist the urge to yell that I can feel my heart breaking and that this is wrong, all wrong.

"I have to go to rehearsal." I lie smoothly, walking away quickly.

"Well, wait for me!" Pete calls after me. I spin on my heel and look at him.

"You're in the play too?" I ask, no real curiosity behind it. I'm too numb to care about anything right now.

"Yep. I'm Paris." Pete says proudly. The name seems to strike my memory from somewhere.

"Paris…who is he again?" I bite my lip, trying to fake guilt for forgetting.

"Oh, he's the one that's trying to marry Juliet!" He laughs and I realize that the universe must really hate me for some reason.

"Of course he is."

Carly POV 3:00PM Day 8

I wait anxiously for Sam and Freddie to show up, already knowing that it isn't going to be pretty.

"Hey Carly." I jump and my hand flutters to my chest in surprise, turning to face the speaker. Her lips are pulled down in an uncharacteristic frown and her voice sounds off.

"Hi Sam. What's wrong?" I ask immediately, pulling her towards the backstage area.

"I'm fine." Her voice sounds dead, a flat monotone and I think back to her fight with Freddie at lunch. Was that what this was about?

"Did Freddie walk you here?" I gently question her. Sam's eyes flash with an emotion that's gone before I can read it. All I know is that it's a powerful emotion, consuming her with its intensity. I push through various sets and costumes until I finally reach a quiet place where we can talk. "So, did he walk you here?" I try to keep my tone light but Sam still flinches.

"No." Her voice is oddly low, almost husky. She averts her eyes and stares at the floor. I rub her arm reassuringly, hating how terrible she was obviously feeling.

"Did you two have a fight or something?" I feign innocence, hoping Sam will tell me about it.

"Today at lunch, but it's no big deal. Let's go rehearse." Sam tries to shake off whatever emotion is holding her like this while she pulls me by my wrist back to the stage. I'm about to ask her to tell me the truth when her hand suddenly releases my wrist, letting it fall to my side. My eyes follow her line of sight until I focus on Freddie. I shrink back from the sight, almost hiding behind Sam. Freddie is obviously furious, but his fury is tempered by a type of desperation. His eyes drift around the stage until they lock on Sam. His face darkens for a brief second before a neutral expression takes over. Sam shivers and I can't really blame her, eyeing Freddie carefully. He hurries over to us and hands Sam her script silently. My gaze flickers between the two as the palpable tension grows to almost suffocation. Sam won't look at Freddie and Freddie stares at Sam with a mix of determination and fear.

"He asked you?" Freddie's voice is almost a whisper. Sam nods, still staring at the floor, and opens her mouth to answer when Ms. Esposito interrupts.

"Listen, my little chickens!" She waits a few seconds for silence before continuing. "We have three weeks to opening night! The only reason we have been using scripts is to help all of you grow accustomed to the language of Shakespeare. Today will be our last day of rehearsal with scripts, so you will need to start memorizing your lines. Everyone will take measurements for clothing on Tuesday. Wednesday we'll all be trying on our costumes to double check the fit. Thursday I need all male characters, along with Juliet and Rosaline to be here. The boys will have a brief lesson in swordplay and I'll be helping Romeo, Juliet, and Rosaline with a few things. Friday we will coordinate the dances for the Capulet party scenes." She reaches down to pick up her script. "Okay, my chickens. Today Romeo and Juliet are working on the double suicide scene and everyone else needs to find a partner to rehearse with." Ms. Esposito moves closer to us, gesturing at me. "Come along, Rosaline. I need you to rehearse with Benvolio and Mercutio in Romeo's place." I reluctantly come out from my hiding place from behind Sam and follow Ms. Esposito, still wondering what my best friends were keeping from me.

Sam POV 3:10PM Day 8

When Carly walks away, I slowly turn back to Freddie.

"I said yes. I'm going to go out with him when the play is over." I finally answer him, watching his expression carefully. I don't know why but I'm still praying to see that flash of jealousy that will tell me that he does care and this isn't just acting. I'm still numb, but I manage to feel a flash of excruciating pain when Freddie grins back at me.

Freddie POV 3:13PM Day 8

A few weeks was a long time and maybe by then Sam would decide not to go out with Pete! It was too much to wish that she would even consider going out with me, but the idea of her with another guy made me shake with fury. For some reason, I'd had a stupid and naïve hope that she would like me back one day, only to have it crushed mercilessly seconds ago. A torment worse than all of the pain that Sam had ever inflicted floods through me, emanating from my chest. I had never imagined that having your heart broken could be such pure, undiluted agony. I fake a smile, knowing that that was the response she wanted.

"Cool. I really hope it works out." I lie easily, fooling even Sam. She smiles in response and turns to her script.

"Let's get to work."

***Wipes away tears with a tissue and blows nose* Yes, I feel TERRIBLE for breaking Sam and Freddie's hearts. Remember, I'm a Seddier like you, so I HATE Pete and Wendy (You'll see why in later chapters). I hope I managed to capture the emotions in this chapter correctly, leave me a review telling me what you think. So...completely fantastic? Or a complete fail? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? Hard to say. This chapter was VERY challenging to write and edit (not to mention it was sad), but it was nice to have that challenge factor to push me. It was fun to write how clueless Pete is (or is he...?)**

**I updated the sneak peeks on my profile, so all of them are for future chapters right now. Go check it out! :)**

**HUGE thanks to all of my amazing reviewers from last chapter: ccchat8, angels., Kpfan72491, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Ironish Rose, LoLTwilightLover124, coketree20, smiley face, Flutter360, Julietta, Clara Powell, CandyRox12, mirage888, icecoffee18, Mystapleza, Ivyheart, bella3590, and seddie-is-sexy! You guys (and girls) are so awesome! :D**

**TO SMILEY FACE: No problem. :)**

**TO JULIETTA: Wow, your favorite? I'm so happy! :D**

**TO IVYHEART: Glad you like it! The translations make it a little easier to read, so I'm happy to put them! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and remember to review! :D**


	19. The Gossip Mafia

**Hey my fellow Seddiers! You ready for the gossip mafia? Read on...**

Carly POV 4:00PM Day 8

I pull open the door to the Groovy Smoothie and cautiously step inside. The lights immediately dim and the door slams behind me, making me jump. A girl I know from my History class, Lacy, pulls her hand off the door slowly. I'm about to ask her what's going on when I hear Wendy speak.

"You've been holding out on us, Carly." I turn back to the deserted tables, surprised when I see Wendy sitting at the table farthest away from me. My mind races, trying to think of a response.

"Look, I came here to negotiate. I just want you to leave my best friends alone." I take a step closer to her table and hear movement behind me. I look over my shoulder nonchalantly, taking in Lacy and Heather shadowing me. Their expressions are impassive and they seem almost like…bodyguards. I slowly turn to face Wendy again. "You shouldn't have even heard that argument in the first place. It's none of your business." Wendy's eyes narrow dangerously and she gets to her feet, advancing towards me slowly.

"I'll tell you what, Shay. I walked into Ridgeway three years ago as only a freshman and you know what I saw? Sloppy, inaccurate rumors traveling slower than I even thought possible." She takes another threatening step forward. "So I did something about it. I gathered a group of seven faithful girls to join me as we improved the quality of gossip. It's not a perfect system, but that's because we only tell the truth," She takes another menacing step forward. "and the truth hurts." Lacy and Heather push past me to stand next to Wendy. Out of the shadows, five more girls come to stand beside them. I hate to admit it, but I was actually a little intimidated. The two redheads (Wendy and Heather), four brunettes (Tasha, Emily, Candice, and Mya), and two blondes (Lacy and Paige) all fold their arms across their chests and look at me like I was a little kid who had misbehaved. "We're a family and we've risen to a reliable standard of gossip." Candice scoffs at Wendy's words and steps forward.

"We ARE the standard." Candice says smugly. I edge away from them, creeped out by the whole 'mafia family business' vibe I was getting. I bump into a table and sit down on a stool faintly. Wendy steps forward and sits across from me.

"What do you know Carly?" Her voice is soft and I know she's trying to pump me for information. I put my purse on the floor and lean forward.

"If I tell you, we're going to have to arrange a deal." I barely finish when Wendy puts her hand over her head and snaps twice. Immediately, Paige sets an official looking document in front of me. Wendy smiles at Paige and then starts pointing things out to me.

"First you've got your standard witness protection clause." She catches my confused expression. "If you speak to us, then we don't cite you as our source." Wendy explains and I nod, glad to understand. "Then you can see our official disclosure policy and the subsequent terms and conditions. Within the terms and conditions, you will see all possible situations that will result in the termination of your contract." Wendy sounds almost bored, like she's said this a million times. Suddenly, I feel a pen in my hand and Wendy grins at me. "So are you in? Or are you out?" Dread rises in me, making the pen fell a hundred times heavier than it really was. It almost feels like I'm about to sign away my soul to the devil.

"What exactly am I signing? I just want to stop anything about Sam and Freddie from coming out to anyone." I weigh the pen in my hand, caught off guard with the businesslike nature to all of this. Wendy's smile fades the tiniest degree but she points at the bottom of the contract. I follow her finger and squint at the tiny letters. "The Best Friend Clause." I read out loud. I look up at Wendy and eye her carefully. "What does it say?" Wendy thinks for a moment, trying to sum it up in her head.

"Basically, the best friend clause allows for this type of situation. A situation or secret that could potentially hurt the signee's best friend in any way will not be revealed until the signee decides to disclose said situation or secret OR the signee's contract expires. In return, you tell us everything you know about anything." Wendy leans back in her stool. "Then when your contract expires, we're free to do whatever we want." I nod my head, biting my lip.

"So, if I sign this contract, then NO gossip about Sam and Freddie will be released for how long?" Wendy leans forward again, her expression distant.

"Our policy is fairly simple. The bigger the secret, the faster the contract expires." Wendy begins to tick them off on her fingers. "For something minor, almost below our notice, the contract will last for about a month. Fights or academic disputes we usually give three weeks." I raise my eyebrows.

"Academic disputes?" I didn't have a clue what that is. Wendy rolls her eyes.

"It happens a lot between the AP kids. They try to one up each other on test scores and projects. If someone does particularly terrible, then they sign a contract and tell us everything they know." Wendy shrugs. "We wait for the hype to die down before we tell the school what they got."

"Isn't that kind of immoral?" I remember failing the Spanish final last year and tried to imagine the super competitive AP kids making fun of me. It would definitely have made me feel worse than I already did. Wendy cocks her eyebrow.

"Isn't it high school?" she counters. I point at her, holding back a laugh.

"Touché." Wendy's expression turns serious again.

"We'll usually give two weeks for kisses, depending on the people." I shoot her a confused look and she rolls her eyes. "If they're already a couple then who really cares? However, if they aren't, then we report it based on our interest level." I study the table, feeling slightly guilty.

"In a purely hypothetical case, how many weeks would you give it if Sam and Freddie kissed?" I can't see her expression, but I'm pretty sure it's suspicious. I slowly raise my eyes to face her when she doesn't speak immediately. Wendy seems to be honestly thinking about it, weighing her personal interest against the contract. She finally focuses on me, smirking.

"Two days." I gape at her in shock.

"You just said it was two weeks!" I accuse. Wendy continues to smirk at me.

"I said based on interest. The entire school has been waiting for Sam and Freddie to finally wake up and go out!" Wendy scoffs and leans back, setting her feet on the table. "Besides, you wouldn't know _anything _about Sam and Freddie kissing." Her voice is drenched in sarcasm. "Lastly, we give a week or less to couples getting together, party incidents, and deaths." Wendy finishes and waits for me to say something. I search frantically for a way out of this. If I don't sign the contract, then Wendy tells the entire school about Sam and Freddie's fight and any other information she has that I don't know about. I wouldn't put it past her to have other sources telling her all about what's been going on. If I do sign the contract, then I have to tell her EVERYTHING about Sam and Freddie. The pictures on my phone would definitely come back to haunt me if that was the case.

"How would you know if someone's lying?" I ask, tapping the pen nervously. Wendy raises her eyebrows.

"We've been doing this for three years. We know all the body language, every single signal that will tell us that you're lying." Wendy rolls her eyes and pulls her feet off the table, leaning forward. "Carly, I've known you since we were eight. You're a terrible liar." I give a sigh of defeat. My mind flashes to my two best friends and I sit up a little straighter. I have to protect them.

"I need different terms than these." Wendy frowns but I keep going. "I will tell you everything I know BUT you can't say one word until after the last performance, about a month from now." Hopefully by then Sam and Freddie will figure everything out, but I was afraid to ask for anything longer. Lacy moves towards the table and pulls Wendy aside. The gossip girls form a huddle and talk softly enough that I can't hear. A minute later, Mya pulls the contract away from me and slips a new one in its place.

"We've only ever done one of these before. You're lucky we want this information so badly." Mya is soft spoken but I hear more steel in her voice then I thought possible. I study the contract in front of me, discovering the only difference. A small section has been added, titled 'The Time Clause'. Wendy slides back into her stool, and points at the contract.

"There you go, Shay. Until after the last night of the play." Wendy's voice is sour and I know she hates that I had beat her. I confidently sign with a flourish, capping the pen and waiting for the inevitable flow of questions. Emily is the first one to speak.

"So, we've actually got a few tips that need to be double checked." Emily says as Candice steps forward, flashcards in hand.

"Number one, Sam and Freddie are in love with each other." Candice says slowly, studying my reaction. I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"People don't fall in love when they're in high school. At least not real love." She nods and pulls out the next flashcard.

"Number two, Sam and Freddie fixed their roles in the play." A bead of sweat forms at my hairline. I swallow the lump of guilt in my throat so I can choke out a response.

"Well, _they _didn't fix the roles."

**DUN DUN DUNNN! Sorry there wasn't any Seddie in this one, but next chapter (up tomorrow) will be Sam and Freddie! So...what did you think? Completely hilarious or completely horrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? This chapter was SO FUN to write! Even though Wendy and her gossip girls are completely insane and annoying, I couldn't help but laugh at how business like they are! What was your favorite part? Did you not have a favorite part because it was so terrible? Let me know in a review!**

**BIG THANKS to all of my reviewers: ccchat8, angels., xx-SamxFreddie-xx, mirage888, Kpfan72491, Ironish Rose, smiley face, CandyRox12, LoLTwilightLover124, Mystapleza, Flutter360, Seddielovergrl, alma, seddie-is-sexy, icecoffee18, bella3590, Ivyheart, and Trizinity! Reviews make me super happy, so PLEASE REVIEW! :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: For challenges, I don't think people usually review but they just write and post it. Don't give up yet! Give people a few weeks to check out your challenge! (For those of you that are confused right now, I posted a challenge for smiley face if you want to check it out.) :D**

**TO ALMA: Sam is pretty stubborn like that, huh? :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Wow, thanks! I'm glad that my story was your first review! I LOVE reviews, just like all fanfiction writers, because it lets me know what I need to work on and what you guys(and girls) like! :)**

**So...that's about it! New chapter up tomorrow! Thanks for reading and *fingers crossed* reviewing! :D**


	20. A Battle Of Wills

**Chapter 20! :)**

Sam POV 4:15PM Day 8

I wince as my numbness lessens and the sting of pain washes over me. I was used to pain. I was Sam Puckett for crying out loud! I was used to the sharp sting of rejection or the ache of a punch to the gut, but this hurt had a hint of nausea, almost like I was going to be sick. I would never have been able to do one of those tender love scenes feeling this horribly, but luckily we were working on the double suicide scene. Therefore, I could allow my hurt and grief out in full force while I pretend to mourn over Romeo's dead body.

"What's here? A cup closed in my true love's hand?

Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.

O churl. Drunk all, and left no friendly drop

To help me after? I will kiss thy lips.

Haply some poison yet doth hang on them.

To make me die with a restorative."

I follow the script and falter at the next stage direction. Freddie is tense, obviously aware of the direction. I sigh, skipping the kiss and finishing my lines.

_Translation: What's this? A container in my true love's hand? Poison has brought him to an untimely end. Oh, you're cruel! Have you left no drop of poison for me to follow you? I'll kiss your lips. Perhaps there's still some poison on them, to make me die with restoring medicine._

"Thy lips are warm."

_Translation: Your lips are warm_.

I say the line weakly, focusing intently on my script so I don't have to see Freddie's reaction. I still remembered that first kiss. I could feel the breeze and the taste of his lips on mine. Cinnamon and vanilla, exactly how he had always smelled. I don't think that I had liked him back then, but it was possible that I did because I didn't even realize that I liked him until I was jealous of Carly. It made it even worse that Freddie had probably forgotten the kiss the second he had gone out with Carly. I avoid his eyes, turning to face Ms. Esposito.

"How was that?" I ask evenly, ignoring the searing pain flooding through me. Unfortunately, the nausea is more persistent and my stomach churns dangerously. Ms. Esposito adjusts her black scarf and clears her throat. I realize that she's crying when her glasses fog up the tiniest bit. I bite my lip, her sorrow pushing mine to new heights. Freddie is silent, somewhere behind me.

"That was….incredible." Ms. Esposito wipes away a tear. "I really believed that you both had a broken heart." I grit my teeth and squeeze my eyes shut. There's one small difference between Freddie's performance and my performance. I really wish that I could be the one that was acting.

Freddie POV 4:25PM Day 8

I stare down at Sam and the shaking in my hands grows worse. She doesn't care one bit that she hurt me so badly. She doesn't know that I wasn't acting at all. I watch as her hands curl into fists and then straighten before repeating the process. Her blond curls stir the air and I catch the familiar smell that deepens the anguish radiating from my chest. Strawberries.

"If you two can do that on opening night, then we'll have the place packed." Ms. Esposito says shakily, removing her glasses to dry her eyes. "Go home. Go home and memorize, my chickens." She waves her hand dismissively and pulls out a tissue to dab her face. The collective shuffling of feet to the door is loud after the complete silence a minute ago. I dimly follow Sam's bouncing gold curls, wanting to be near her despite the ache in my chest. Sam walks across the stage to where Gibby and Shane were rehearsing.

"Where's Carly?" she asks, annoyed. I stand closer to her, noting that she sways on her feet. Gibby turns to face us nervously, packing his script into his backpack.

"She left a long time ago. She told us that she had to go meet someone." Gibby explains quickly. Shane nods his head in confirmation, winking at Sam before walking away. Red hot jealously burns through me and I glare at his back, frozen in rage. My hands clench into fists and I take a step to follow him, jerking to a stop when Sam grabs my arm. The casual touch shoots a very different type of heat through me, accompanied by a swell of pain. I swallow the lump in my throat, purposely looking away from her.

"Whoa, where are you going Fredderly? You have to give me a ride to Carly's." I step out of her grip on my arm, heading towards the door. She falls into step beside me, deathly silent. I glance at her from the corner of my eye as I'm pushing open the door. Her face is a little green and sweat forms on her brow.

"You okay, Sam?" I ask her, concern conquering even the pain radiating from my chest. She shakes her head and slaps her hand over her mouth.

Sam POV 4:30PM Day 8

I fight against the swell of my stomach, sickened by his words. As if he really cared if I was okay. Another wave tears through my stomach and I instantly regret the thought. I hold my hand over my mouth and try to breathe fresh air, leaning on a tree that I had stumbled over to. I close my eyes and take another deep breath. Gradually, I feel my stomach calm and the painful beating of what's left of my heart overwhelms me. I become aware of a hand on my forehead, and focus on the boy in front of me.

"You don't feel warm. What's wrong Sam?" Freddie asks, removing his hand. I'm surprised by the fierce longing to have his hand on my forehead again. Shouldn't I hate him right now? I rest my head against my tree, the urge to throw up gradually fading.

"I'm fine." I push off of the tree, picking up my backpack and slinging it over my shoulder. "Where's your mom?" He eyes me doubtfully as I stumble forward but points to a silver minivan. I nod and turn to stumble towards the van. I close my eyes and shiver when he follows so close behind me that I can feel his breath on my neck. My heart beats a painful double time and I shift away from him.

"Are you cold now? Do you need my jacket?" Freddie's worry is both sweet and annoying. Wait, sweet? I should totally be kicking his ass or hating his guts right now. Except I think, despite everything, I still love him. As if my life wasn't already screwed up enough.

"I'm fine, Fredbag." I repeat as he pulls open the back of the van for me. I climb in and settle in the seat behind Crazy.

"You know, you don't have to call my Freddie insulting names." She protests, turning around to look at me.

"Actually, I do." I disagree, lounging back in the seat. Crazy raises her eyebrows.

"Why do you make fun of Freddie?" She asks me frankly. I open my mouth to answer and find no words. I frown and close it again. Why did I insult Freddie? It was just kind of our thing, I guess.

"That's just the way it's always been." I shrug, trying not to let my voice catch. "And that's the way it's always gonna be."

Freddie POV 4:45PM Day 8

Ouch. Sam's words burned, adding to the pain already building in my chest. I look out the window, trying to keep anyone from seeing my face.

"So I watched iCarly last week." My mom says, driving the van out of the parking lot. I whip around and look at her in shock, frozen. She had chosen this moment to mention this on purpose. Sam was here now, so what was she going to say? My eyes darted to Sam, taking in her similar shocked expression before turning back to my mom. "Why didn't you tell me, Freddie?" Her eyes focus on the road, but I know she's waiting for an answer. I open my mouth, searching for an excuse. I frown and stop when I realize that I don't really want to lie to my mom. The drive is silent and the tension grows with each second. We finally reach the parking lot and I hurry to get out of the van. "Sam." My mom turns to look behind her. "Stay in the car, please." Icy blue lock with my mom's chocolate brown and the battle of wills begins.

**My fav part? I wasn't completely satisfied with this chapter, felt a like a fill to me. I liked describing how Sam and Freddie are feeling though, very challenging! Completely Seddie? Or compeletey suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**BIG NEWS: I'm going on vacation (again) and I don't know if I'll have internet access. If I do, than the next update will be Monday. If not, that the next update will be next Friday!**

**THANK YOU REVIEWERS: Gabsikle, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Seddielovergrl, angels., virgoleo23, Ironish Rose, Flutter360, Cookielivcat, Kpfan72491, smiley face, CandyRox12, coketree20, icecoffee18, mirage888, and Mystapleza! You're all amazing, so thanks! :)**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: Thanks! That was one of my favorite chapters ever to write/edit! :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: I'm really busy between sports (I play three), summer homework, and iShakespeare right now; but when I have time I'll definitely look into it! :)**

**TO THIS SHOULDN'T SOUND MEAN: Tried to make it shorter this time. Sorry to fake you out like that. :(**

**So...thanks for reading and PLEASE REVIEW! ;)**


	21. There Will Be Blood

**I'm back! Here's Chapter 21, so enjoy! :)**

Sam POV 4:55PM Day 8

I stare at Crazy, wondering if she's serious. My eyes drift to meet hers and I flinch away instinctively. She had HIS eyes and it was a painful reminder to see any chocolate right now. I hear the sound of a car door slamming, Freddie abandoning me. Apparently chivalry _is_ dead.

"You're mad at him, aren't you?" I turn my attention back to Ms. Benson, careful to avoid her eyes.

"Of course not. You usually feel gratitude when someone saves your life." The ready lie comes off of my tongue easily and I know she'll buy it. I'm shocked when she laughs, seeing through me.

"_Usually_ being the key term. You _are_ mad at him." She laughs again. "You may think that I'm just Freddie's insane mother, but I'm not blind." I glare at her, daring her to continue. She raises her eyebrows at me, accepting the challenge. "You know what I noticed when I made Freddie's bed after you left?" My eyes widen and my mouth is suddenly dry. "On Freddie's bed, both pillows had been used. Now, I happen to know for a fact that my Freddie doesn't move in his sleep. That leaves me one thought. There were TWO people in Freddie's bed." She glares at me and I feel my fractured heart race painfully in my chest. "May I smell your hair?" The request is so unexpected that I don't react in time to move away from her. She leans forward and quickly sniffs a strand of my hair.

"What? Get away from me!" I yell, pushing her. Freddie's mom settles back into her seat, staring at me triumphantly.

"Exactly what I thought. You smell like strawberries. Just like one of Freddie's pillowcases smelled like strawberries." Mrs. Benson's on a roll now, and no denial can save me. "I never thought I would have to talk to YOU about this, but you're just as bad as that Shay girl! My son risked his life, something that I can't even bear to think about, to help YOU of all people." She shakes her head at her son's poor choices before continuing. "I don't know what happened between you and Freddie, but it better not happen again or," She leans forward menacingly. "there will be blood." The combination of her crazy eyes, deadly glare, and fierce words are enough to actually intimidate me. She's exactly like one of those mother bears that would kill anyone that gets close to their cub. I force my gaze away from her and franticly scramble to open the door of the van. I hit the ground running, looking back to see if Crazy is following me. The next thing I know, I'm slamming into something very solid. My momentum carries me forward and I end up tackling the person to the ground, landing on top of them. I quickly brush my hair out of my eyes and look down at the person, considering apologizing. Freddie groans and rubs his head, shifting underneath me. I freeze momentarily, stunned by the feeling of bliss that overwhelms me. My arms are stretched to the sidewalk on either side of his head, my face inches from his. I'm laying completely on top of him and my brain goes fuzzy with the wildfire that spreads from the contact and begins to consume me. Freddie's chocolate eyes flicker open and I panic, shoving myself up and away from him. I briefly search the parking lot for the Benson's silver van, relieved when I see that it's gone. Freddie groans again and I grip his arm reluctantly to help in into a sitting position.

"What the hell was that Sam? I was minding my own business when you come flying out of nowhere and tackle me!" Freddie protests, glaring at me. I ignore him, still processing his mother's words. "Sam, are you even listening to me? Of course you aren't because it's just too much trou-."

"She knows." I finally choke out, watching Freddie's expression change. He keeps a hand on his head while he rises to stand next to me.

"She knows about our…..sleeping arrangements?" He asks slowly, hoping that he had misunderstood me.

"She knows that we were in the bed at the same time." I whisper, horror overcoming me. "What if she tells Carly?"

Carly POV 4:30PM Day 8

Wendy paces in front of me, her expression thoughtful. I watch her nervously, waiting for the blow to fall. She finally sits back down and stares at me blankly.

"So it was you? All of it? You convinced Principal Franklin to fix the three roles?" Wendy looks at me curiously and I nod. "I can't say that it wasn't good work, but I don't like the idea of you messing with Sam and Freddie."

"Hypocrite." Lacy says, accompanied by a scoff from Paige.

"Hypocrite? Did you mess with Sam and Freddie?" I ask, my voice rising in panic. Wendy shoots a glare at Lacy and Heather before focusing on me again.

"You could say that." She grumbles, tapping her fingers on the table. I look at her in horror, wondering what she had set up.

"What did you do?" I demand franticly. Wendy shakes her head, brandishing my contract.

"I'm not required to tell you." I glare at her and she looks back at me steadily. "Not saying anymore than that. Now, what else do you got? We know that you set up the play, Sam and Freddie aren't secretly dating, and they aren't in love."

"There have just been a lot of little things over the years, but recently it's gotten a little more obvious." I say, hoping they won't ask for detail.

"What did they say about Freddie saving her life?" Mya asks, leaning forward in anticipation. I frown a little, frustrated that I can't lie.

"From what they've told me, which isn't much, it went something like this. Sam was upset after rehearsals for some reason." I raise my finger as half of the girls open their mouths to ask me for detail. "I don't know why Sam was upset. So, Sam tried to get me to walk in the rain but I told her that we could just wait for Spencer to pick us up. She seemed to be okay with it one second but then suddenly she was running away. Freddie came by a half minute later and asked where Sam had gone. I told him and he dropped his backpack next to hers and went after her." I pull my eyebrows together before continuing. "This is where it gets to Sam and Freddie's version of the story. Sam said that she could hear someone yelling her name and she kept running. She didn't say if she knew that it was Freddie or not. She told me that Freddie grabbed her around the waist to stop her. Then Freddie said that he had been furious with Sam and yelled at her. He also mentioned that Sam was drenched and shaking pretty badly by now. Sam told me that he gave her his jacket and they tried to run in the rain but it was kind of awkward. She said that Freddie had carried her ten blocks, about a mile." The girls, completely absorbed, allow the first noise in the form of gasps to be released. I smile at them, finding myself enjoying the girl talk despite the forced circumstances. "That's not even the best part. Freddie carried Sam for the ten blocks, without stopping, and at a running pace." I wait a few seconds for it to sink in. Paige is the first to react.

"Wow. It's gotta be the abs." she says dreamily, staring off into space. I laugh when the other girls murmur agreement.

"So then, Freddie tried to shrug it off. He was like 'Sam isn't heavy.' I was still trying to process the ten blocks thing so Sam decided to help me out. She said that he must have been worried about her and had an adrenaline rush, making him stronger. Sam told me that she remembered being freezing cold and that Freddie told her to change clothes. Then she and Freddie traded this totally loaded look before she continued. Sam said that Freddie hugged her and told her to never do that again." Wendy takes particular interest in this, perking up.

"Describe the hug." She requests, her chin in her hands. I think hard, remembering every little hint that had been left to me.

"Well, the look was like Sam was debating whether or not to tell me." I finally said, still thinking. "I can't really remember anything else." I admit. Wendy frowns at me.

"What _type _of hug was it?" She asks, burning with curiosity. I raise my eyebrows in confusion.

"Type?" I ask. Wendy shrugs before clarifying.

"You know. Was it a bear hug, a comfort hug, a friend hug or was it a couple hug?" Wendy raises one of her eyebrows and her gossip girls mutter appreciatively.

"They didn't mention any details. They just told me he hugged her and while they were hugging he told her to never do that ever again." I shrug and watch as they look at me, disappointed.

"That's okay, Carly. Continue." Wendy encourages. I nod my head and pick up where I left off.

"Sam said they both changed but Freddie came up to check on her because he was 'in charge'." I add Sam's quotation marks and hesitate for a second before I continue. "Then Freddie told us that he was just wanted to get Sam warm as soon as possible." I think about what I'm going to say next and I laugh under my breath. "The power was out and Freddie cussed when he tried to turn the heat on and it wouldn't work."

"No way!" Heather gasps before continuing. "Freddie Benson doesn't cuss." I smile and shrug my shoulders.

"Apparently he does when Sam's in trouble." I wait for the aww's to die down before I continue. "Sam was falling asleep on the couch but Freddie was trying to keep her awake until he thought of a way to keep her warm." I hesitate, knowing that I can't lie but also knowing that I can't tell them that they slept in the same bed. I try to wipe my face of emotion before continuing. "Freddie put some blankets on her and she fell asleep." The girls look at each other in confusion at the sudden ending. I keep my face blank, afraid that they'll see right through me. Wendy studies me suspiciously for a minute and I hold my breath.

**Cliffie! So...completely awesome? Or completely lame? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? Hmm...probably Sam landing on top of Freddie! Very fun to write and edit.**

**YOU ARE THE BEST REVIEWERS ON ALL OF FANFICTION! I BROKE MY RECORD (AGAIN)! So HUGE thanks too: mirage888, Seddielovergrl, Anonymous :) :) :), CandyRox12, smiley face, Darkening Whispers, iLet it Rock, Mystapleza, Kpfan72491, Ivyheart, Julietta, ascended ancient, bella3590, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Ironish Rose, PartyPooper845, angels.., icecoffee18, Castle-of-Bones, ccchat8, Shigiya, and xGirlxInxLovex! Reviews make me smile and, more importantly, write faster! So review please! :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS :) :) :): You didn't hurt my feelings! I'm always open to anything that you guys want me to change, but I'm a very talkative person so it's hart to make short author's notes! :)**

**TO SMILEY FACE: Physical Fitness for life! jk, jk. :D**

**TO IVYHEART: You're kind of like Darth Vader! At least you came to the good (Seddie) from the evil (Creddie)! Nobody gets it? Ok, I'm weird... :)**

**TO JULIETTA: Romeo and Juliet is my favorite play too! Well, maybe second favorite. C'mon people Wicked was an AMAZING PLAY! I'm off subject..again. Well, thanks! :D**

**So..that's about it! Thanks for reading and pretty please with a cherry on top REVIEW! :)**


	22. Assumptions and Reassurances

**I broke 300 reviews! *celebrates with victory dance* Read on...**

Carly POV (continued)

"Okay." Wendy finally says, still not completely convinced.

"So, what else?" I ask them, trying to cover my relief. Wendy pulls a picture out of her purse, unfolding it carefully. She slides it in front of me and I stare at it, a lump forming in my throat.

"This is how Freddie carried Sam, isn't it?" Wendy asks quietly. The picture shows a man in a tuxedo holding a woman in a white dress bridal style. I push the picture away, a feeling of betrayal overcoming me.

"Yes." I whisper, closing my eyes while the gossip girls celebrate. When all is finally quiet, I open my eyes slowly, looking across the table at Wendy.

"Did you ever figure out why Sam and Freddie were mad at lunch?" Wendy leans forward, all of her focus on my answer. I grit my teeth but decide not to push my luck with more lying.

"I figured out why Sam is, but I'm still not sure about Freddie." I say hesitantly. "Sam's mad because Freddie saved her life." All of the girls gasp in horror and I immediately speak to defend Sam. "You have to understand Sam's view on things. She would give anything in the world to avoid feeling weak. It doesn't help that Freddie keeps pushing the fact that he can carry her against her will if he needs to. I'm not saying that it's right, but she can't help it." There's a period of dead silence while everyone digests my words.

"I think that we should work together." Wendy finally says. I turn to look at her, surprised.

"Work together as in work to get Sam and Freddie together?"

"Under the circumstances, it would benefit both parties." Wendy slips back into her comfortable business mode and I look at her doubtfully.

"How so?"

"Easy. I want Sam and Freddie together because we've all been waiting for it so long." She shrugs. "Plus, I like a challenge. You want Sam and Freddie together because they're your best friends and you want them to be happy. If we work together, they don't stand a chance." Wendy counters, laying her palms flat on the table between us. I consider all of it for a minute, coming up with advantages and disadvantages.

"Do you have experience in this?" I ask carefully. Wendy smiles smugly and the other girls laugh.

"One of our greatest success stories, Gibby and Tasha." I focus my attention on Tasha, who's laughing like the rest of them.

"You got Tasha to like Gibby?" Wow, they were amazing.

"No silly! They got Gibby to like me! I even transferred schools to be with my fellow gossip girls and Gibby." Tasha says, her tone suggesting that I'm an idiot. I roll my eyes, but Wendy ignores me.

"We already started a highly effective method that will probably work, but Sam and Freddie may need other little nudges to get together." Wendy sighs. "Technically we aren't allowed to interfere any further without your consent because our contract has a policy specifically excluding meddling."

"What highly effective method is this? Was it what you were talking about earlier?" I demand, determined to find out.

"Not saying anything about that. I wouldn't want to ruin the surprise." Wendy says, grinning slyly. I glare at her, knowing that she's trapped me. If I work with the gossip girls, than I have a better chance of figuring out what they're up to and shooting down some of their schemes for Sam and Freddie.

"Fine." I say, trying to cope with the sense of betrayal that was washing over me. Wendy shoots me a thousand watt smile before rising to her feet and grabbing her purse.

"Excellent. Meeting tomorrow morning in the library at 7:00." She calls back to me while pushing the door open. Her gossip girls trail behind her, all laughing or giggling about what they had learned. I bury my head in my hands and moan quietly.

"What did I do?" I whisper to no one in particular.

Freddie POV 5:05PM Day 8

I groan when Sam rolls off of me, equal parts disappointment and pain. I bring my hands to my head, groaning again when it throbs painfully. My heart races painfully fast when Sam grips my arm and pulls me up into a sitting position.

"What the hell was that Sam? I was minding my own business when you come flying out of nowhere and tackle me!" I yell, keeping my hands on my head. Sam's eyes stare at something far away and I doubt she's even listening to me. This makes me even more upset than her flying tackle. "Sam, are you even listening to me?" I ask her, my anger growing. "Of course you aren't because it's just too much trou-."

"She knows." Sam whispers, cutting me off. I freeze, my anger swiftly turning into numb shock. I get to my feet unsteadily and look down at Sam.

"She knows about our…sleeping arrangements?" I ask carefully, not sure how to phrase the question. Maybe she knew something else and I was panicking over nothing.

"She knows that we were in the bed at the same time." Sam swallows audibly before continuing. "What if she tells Carly?" I think about the consequences of Carly finding out about when Sam and I had kissed. My eyes dart to Sam's face and rest on her lips. Not my best idea. I mentally shake myself and continue my line of thought. If Carly was so upset about the kiss, I tried to imagine her anger over this one. No matter what excuse we gave her, Carly was going to be deathly furious at both of us. Except, if my mom was going to tell Carly, she would have told her by now instead of waiting like this. My mom isn't the most patient (as you've probably guessed) person on the planet. I come out of my thoughts slowly, still looking down at Sam. "She's going to kill us. We promised her that we wouldn't hide anything anymore." Sam chokes out the words, looking up at me with fear in her eyes. "What if she doesn't want to be friends anymore?" I pull my hands off of my head and reach around Sam's waist, automatically wanting to comfort her. Surprisingly, Sam allows me to pull her closer and her arms shift to cling to me. I do my best to ignore the searing dose of heat that burns through me at Sam's touch, leaning down to whisper in her ear.

"She's not going to find out. My mom would have told her by now if she was going to tell her at all. It's okay, Sam. Everything is going to be fine." I whisper reassuringly, feeling Sam's desperate grip on me loosen. A particularly violent throb of my head makes me pull away from Sam, hands on my head.

"You okay, Fredbag?" Sam asks in genuine concern. That was a first.

"Headache, that's all." I whisper, careful not be too loud. Sam catches on and also drops her voice level.

"I really am sorry about that. It was an accident." She whispers, frowning. Her face lights up when she thinks of something and she smiles slyly. "If I had done it on purpose, I would have at least made sure your mom was here to inject you with needles and shove medicine down your throat." I roll my eyes and unsuccessfully try to restrain a smile.

"That's very reassuring Sam." I say sarcastically, rubbing my head carefully. Sam grins and laughs softly.

"Isn't it?"

Spencer POV 5:25PM Day 8

I sip my Wahoo Punch thoughtfully, considering my dilemma. I had to choose what I was going to make my next sculpture about and I was torn. It was going to be either a Panda Bear eating some bamboo or some bamboo eating a Panda Bear. See my dilemma? The door to the apartment flies open and I swivel around in my kitchen stool to face the newcomers.

"Just go sit down on the couch. I'll bring you an ice bag in a minute." Sam says quietly, pushing Freddie towards the couch. Freddie nods his head once and winces painfully.

"Oh my god, what did you do to Freddie?" I yell in concern. Sam runs over and crushes my arm in a death grip while Freddie groans in pain.

"Spencer, shut up." Sam hisses at me quietly. "Do you have an ice pack?"

"In the freezer," I answer automatically and Sam hurries into the kitchen. "but what did you do to him?" Sam pauses on her trip back to the couch and looks over at me in slight annoyance.

"Who said that _I _did something?" Sam sounds slightly offended at my assumption.

"Well, who else would it be?" I counter. Sam's face falls and she looks down.

"It was an accident this time." She says defensively. I raise one of my eyebrows and take another sip of Wahoo Punch.

"What happened?" I ask casually. Sam looks up and bites her lip, almost guiltily.

"I kinda slammed his head on the asphalt in the parking lot." I stare after her in shock, not really surprised at her confession, but extremely surprised with the guilt that came with it. It took a lot to make Sam feel guilty. I shrug and head upstairs to get started on my sculpture. Now where could I find some bamboo?

**Spencer's so weird...bamboo eating a panda bear? That might actually be fun to see! So...completely appalling****? Or completely amazing? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My ****fav**** part? Probably the ****Seddie**** hug! If Sam was that worried about losing her best friend, then it's actually half way believable! Also, Sam's little line "Isn't it?"! Loved writing it!**

**YOU BROKE MY RECORD (AGAIN) AND I BROKE 300 REVIEWS! My magnificent reviewers from last chapter: ****MythScavenger****, xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, PartyPooper845, ****Seddielovergrl****, ****pielovingchick****, Castle-of-Bones, Kpfan72491, ****Mystapleza****, ****ChaosKeks****, ****smileyface****, CandyRox12, ****iLet**** it Rock, Kari, ****Loveseddie****, Ashley123, ****seddie****-is-sexy, coketree20, icecoffee18, ****MultiSeddielover****, angels., ****Shigiya****, bella3590, mirage888, and ****Ivyheart****! Thanks a BILLION! ****XD**

**TO SMILEYFACE: It doesn't bother me. Go ahead and post it in your review! :)**

**TO KARI: Thanks! I'll do my best to keep updating when I go back to school (two weeks) but it will definitely be less often. :(**

**TO ****LOVESEDDIE****: ****Haha****, I was laughing so hard when I wrote that part! :D**

**TO ASHLEY123: Glad you liked it! Hope you liked this chapter too! :)**

**TO ****IVYHEART****: All ****Creddie**** is is kissing! It's unhealthy to have a relationship based solely on kissing! But I did laugh when Mrs. Benson yelled at Carly. :)**

**So, that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please review! :D**


	23. Kaleidoscope Eyes

**SEDDIE!**

Freddie POV 5:30 PM Day 8

"Freddie." Sam's voice is gentle, something I've never heard before. My eyes flicker open and quickly focus on her blond curls. She leans forward and hands me the ice pack, careful not to brush hands. I take it slowly, staring at her to absorb her worry. She raises her hand hesitantly, reaching out to brush my cheek softly. I wince in anticipation of the pain that would come from her touching the bruise on my cheek. Instead, the fire from her touch instantly assuages any pain that I was feeling. She quickly pulls her hand back, guilt in her eyes.

"Is that where I-?" She pauses, unable to continue with words. Her blue eyes are chaotic; flecks of sky blue, aqua, turquoise, and navy mixing to form the familiar pools of blue that I knew better than anyone else's eyes. This is how she conveys the rest of her statement.

_Is that where I slapped you? _

I nod once, feeling guilt of my own when her face falls.

"I deserved it." I say softly, trying to memorize Sam's face again (I've done it multiple times, just never when she's looking at me). Sam stares back, worry and guilt slowly slipping away as I continue to study her. The pull to be near her pushes me harder than ever before and I lean forward. Sam freezes and her kaleidoscope eyes widen as I move even closer. I'm so close that all I see is Sam and, to be honest, that was all I wanted to see. Sam's eyes are still chaotic and just so SAM. Sam. She wouldn't want this. She wouldn't ever like me like that. SAM! I suddenly lean away, breathing hard with the effort, and rest against the back of the couch. Sam is still frozen, surprise and confusion mingling together on her features. I put the ice pack to my head and wait for her to unthaw. She slowly straightens, avoiding my eyes until she's completely back to normal.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I don't know what I was thinking. I hit my head and you were already so close…" I trail off, unable to come up with an adequate apology for invading her personal space and almost kissing her. Her eyes slowly quiet to a calmer state, the chaotic shades dying down and becoming a more cohesive color of blue. She swallows heavily and opens her mouth to speak, but the door flies open, interrupting her. My mom frantically runs in, pulling her huge rolling first aid kit behind her. Sam scowls at her and edges towards the kitchen. My mom jerks my chin up to face her, reclaiming my attention.

"What is day is today?" She asks slowly. I scrunch my eyebrows together.

"Monday, but-."

"What is eight times eight?" I'm slightly annoyed that she cut me off but I answer anyway.

"Sixty-four."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"You were talking to Sam in the van and then she tackled me." I say dryly, noticing that Sam rolls her eyes.

"This time it was an accident." She says, annoyed, reaching for another piece of ham. My mom makes a point to ignore her.

"No concussion. You probably are just going to have a headache. Spencer called to ask if I had any bamboo and I asked him if you were over here. He told me that you hit your head." She explains as she reaches into her first aid kit and pulls out a vial of crushed powder. Even at seventeen, I'm still not allowed to swallow pills. "This should clear that right up." I take the powder and do my best to finish it quickly, grimacing at the taste. As soon as I finish it, the throbbing fades until it's only a dull ache in the back of my head. I hear footsteps coming down the stairs and look over my shoulder at Spencer.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, Freddie. You almost gave me a heart attack." Spencer says from behind the couch, massaging his chest. I laugh and stand up to face him.

"Do you have a cardiologist that you can go to for that?" I ask, joking. Spencer turns serious and frowns.

"Well, Socko does have this one cousin…" He says slowly.

"What's his name?"

"Hart."

Carly POV 5:30PM Day 8

I reach my apartment and push open the door, prepared to greet whoever happens to be here right now. I'm about to speak when I stop in my tracks, not breathing. Freddie is sitting on the couch with an ice pack while Sam leans over him, inches from his face. I silently reach into my jeans pocket and pull out my pear phone. Sam and Freddie are about to kiss and I'm going to have proof. I take a quick picture of them as they are frozen in the before kiss position. They haven't even noticed me yet, to focused on each other. Freddie suddenly blinks and leans back on the couch, ruining the moment. Before they can see me, I creep out of the apartment and close the door behind me silently. Pressing my ear to the door, I can faintly make out Freddie's voice.

"I'm so sorry, Sam. I don't know what I was thinking. I hit my head and you were already so close…" I huff in frustration at his excuses. This would have been the perfect moment for him to admit that he had a crush on her but he had ruined it. A sharp poke on my shoulder makes me jump and I turn to face Mrs. Benson.

"Are you going to go in or not?" She asks impatiently and I numbly shake my head, backing away.

"I was just leaving." I hitch my purse higher on my arm and walk to the end of the hall, pausing at the elevator. The first wave of guilt fills me about this picture thing. I stare down at the image of the almost kiss, studying the shock on Sam's face and Freddie's searching expression. It was such a personal moment that I had walked in on. The slide show feature on my phone automatically trades out the almost kiss for the one where Sam and Freddie are cuddling. My guilt fades, replaced by a sense of righteousness. They had lied right to my face, exactly what they had promised to never do again when I had discovered the truth about their first kiss. No, I would continue to take pictures but I would make sure that they were for my eyes only. Nobody, not even Wendy, could shake my resolve on this one. I put my pear phone away and head back to my apartment, wondering what I would find.

Sam POV 5:30PM Day 8

I roll my eyes at Socko's crazy relatives who always picked their professions by their names. Freddie cracks up, laughing even harder when Spencer becomes confused.

"What did I say?" Freddie's laughing is contagious and I bite my lip to keep from joining in. "Seriously, what's so funny?" Spencer continues to demand, completely missing the joke. Crazy finishes putting away her first aid kit, carefully arranging everything in her OCDness. I'm just relieved that she's chosen to ignore me rather than make a scene. I take a sip of root beer, strangely thoughtful. It's almost like I'm on the edge of some cliff, balancing carefully on the fragile "hate" that I felt for Freddie. I had always been careful to avoid what I was really feeling, vowing that I wouldn't be like my mom. The moment I had fallen for Freddie, I knew that I was going to fail miserably. I should be going through some emotional turmoil, but instead I only feel numb. I swallow heavily, knowing that the real heart break wouldn't hit me until later. For right now, I have the ability to at least appear normal, something I'll lose the second that everything catches up to me.

"Don't forget, dinner's at seven Freddiebear!" Crazy calls behind her, slamming the door. I spit out the root beer I had been just taken a sip of all over the counter, unable to hold back a laugh. All trace of humor gone, Freddie turns to glare at me. I'm still choking on my drink a little bit and I'm trying to cough while laughing. Suffice it to say that it's not working out very well at all.

"What are you laughing at Puckett?" Freddie folds his arms and steps forward to face me across the counter. Another fit of uncontrollable laughter bursts through me at his indignant expression. He's clearly on the verge of joining me, but he doesn't want to give in. Mama could use a victory right now… I stop laughing suddenly, staring at him seriously.

**Sorry to leave you hanging like that! So...very intense chapter. Did you love it? Did you loathe it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? The almost kiss or the foreshadowing I put into this chapter. Did you catch it? Did I keep Sam and Freddie in character okay?**

**BIG NEWS! No, I'm not going on vacation again. But I do need all of you to go to my profile and vote on my poll. I'm wondering if the costumes for the play should be modern or old-fashioned. I left links with examples of the clothing in my profile as well. So go vote please! :)**

**Thanks to the amazing reviewers from last chapter: angels., Mystapleza, ChaosKeks, Seddielovergrl, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Trizinity, Kpfan72491, Castle-of-Bones, smiley face, icecoffee18, Ivyheart, Autumn, bella 3590, mirage888, and iLet it Rock!**

**TO SMILEY FACE: Good prompts. I especially like the wife swap one. :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Don't worry, the gossip mafia will be back in a few chapters to freak you out again! :D**

**TO AUTUMN: Sam does care. She may seem a little out of character this chapter, but I pictured her being out of it and not really in control of herself.**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and I know you want to click on that review button, so I'll just leave you to it! :D**


	24. I'm Not Mad At You

**Are you guys psyched for iGot A Hot Room tomorrow? I know I am! :D Read on...**

Sam POV (continued)

"Freddiebear." Freddie trembles for a minute, trying to hold it in but eventually he joins me in laughing at the ridiculous nickname. I lean against the counter for support, tears rolling down my face. It takes a while but we both eventually laugh ourselves out. I gasp for air, trying to replenish the lost oxygen. Freddie's in the same boat, clutching his sides while he pants heavily. Our breathing gradually slows and I'm about to say something when I'm interrupted yet again by the opening of the apartment door. Carly comes in, heading to the kitchen island and setting her purse down. Freddie and I, finally recovered from our fit of laughing, sit on the stools across from each other.

"What goes on?" Carly asks, walking over to the fridge.

"Nothing." I lie, feeling cold all of a sudden. All trace of humor gone, I try to fight against the memory of the almost kiss. He definitely hadn't been thinking straight if he had even thought about kissing me. Goosebumps form on my arms and it suddenly hurts to breathe. Carly leans against the counter between us, rolling her eyes as she takes a sip out of her water bottle.

"Really? Nothing at all?" Carly asks sarcastically. She couldn't possibly know anything… Before I can stop myself, I look at Freddie in panic. Freddie also has fear in his eyes, probably considering the consequences of 1) being caught in a lie by Carly and 2) having Carly think that he felt anything towards me.

"So, who did you have to meet today?" Freddie changes the subject desperately. Surprisingly, Carly doesn't pick up on the bad cover and instead looks a little guilty herself.

"Was it Griffin?" I guess, picking up another slice of ham. Carly looks confused for a second before she nods her head.

"Oh, yeah. You caught me." She says, her tone still a little off. I shift my eyes to examine what I expect to be Freddie's jealous expression. His eyebrows are scrunched together and he looks more distracted than anything else.

"So, what did you do?" Freddie asks, drumming his fingers on the counter. Carly squeezes her water bottle tightly, the plastic screeching in protest.

"What did I do?" Her voice is strained and guilty. I look up in surprise and study her guilty expression. What the hell was wrong with her?

"What did you do with Griffin?" Freddie clarifies. I roll my eyes and try to ignore the stab of pain through my numbness. Of course Freddie wanted to know what Carly had done with her boyfriend.

"Oh! We…um…went for a walk in the park!" Carly nods her head and takes a quick drink from her water bottle. Freddie nods his head, wincing a tiny bit. I'm surprised by how quickly I go from pain to worry.

"You okay, Fredward?" I ask, my voice a little thick. Freddie half smiles and puts one of his hands on his head.

"Just a little bit of a headache." Carly views the entire exchange in confusion.

"Why do you have a headache?" She asks, her tone a little resigned.

"Well, Sam tackled me and I smacked my head on the asphalt when she landed on top of me." Freddie says, smirking at me. Just like that, I'm furious. Maybe it's because I hate that he had to save my life and make me look weak. Maybe it's because he keeps shoving the fact that he can carry me against my will in my face. Maybe it's because I hate that he gave me that second of hope when he almost kissed me and then tore it to shreds the next second. Maybe it's because he broke my heart.

"It was an accident! I was trying to get away from your wack-ass mother!" I yell, leaning forward to emphasize my point.

"Okay, okay! Break it up you two!" Carly says, looking between us. I glare at Freddie as he opens his mouth to fight back. Instead, Carly keeps going. "You two don't need to fight over all of this stupid stuff!" I lean back a little bit, my glare fading to a grimace. "Besides, you aren't really upset about this! You two are mad at each other for other reasons, so don't turn every little thing into a fight just because you can't confront the real problem!" I gaze after Carly in shock for a brief second as she stalks up the stairs. Then I turn and level my glare at Freddie.

"I'm not mad at you!" I yell, gratified when his face turns red with anger.

"Well, I'm not mad at you either!" He jabs his finger at me and spins on his heel, storming towards the door.

"Well, fine then!"

"Fine!" Freddie screams, slamming the door behind him.

Freddie POV 3:48AM Day 9

I had seethed for hours, furious with the blonde headed demon. Now I stare at the ceiling, no chance of sleep, and think about her. I was still mad at her for risking her life and she had broken my heart the second she had agreed to go out with Pete. Despite everything, I hate it when we fight for real and I just want everything to be ok between us. It's this one thought, more than anything else, that convinces me that I'm always going to love Sam. It takes a whole lot of effort to get along with Sam, especially if your name happened to be Freddie Benson. I sit up and move to the edge of the bed, dropping my head into my hands. Sam was the most stubborn person on the planet and she definitely wasn't going to come over here to talk to me. Getting to my feet, I grab the bobby pin off my bedside table and creep silently through the house, satisfied only when the door closes silently behind me. I kneel and insert the bobby pin in Carly's door, listening carefully for the click. It takes a little longer than usual, but it finally does unlock. I step inside, my eyes gradually taking in the scene while I swing the door closed behind me. Two people sleep on the couch, curled under a plaid blanket. The TV flickers beams of light on their sleeping faces, illuminating them enough to see. I step forward, trying to figure out how I could wake Sam up without waking Carly as well. Sam's head rests against Carly's shoulder and Carly's head is on the arm of the couch. The only safe way to wake Sam is to fry bacon, but it's too risky now because Carly would probably wake up too. Steeling myself, I lean forward and gently grab Sam's wrists it one hand. I hold my breath when she stirs and exhale in relief when she doesn't wake up. Trying to ignore the fire in my veins from Sam's touch, I place my other hand over her mouth. She stirs again and I quickly get on the couch, kneeling on top of her legs so she can't kick me. I rest a fraction of my weight on her and Sam's eyes immediately shoot open. She lunges forward, her arms desperately trying to get me around the throat. I grip her wrists tighter and muffle her cries of protest.

"Chill Sam!" I whisper/yell. "It's just me, Freddie!" Sam stops struggling and studies me in the flickering light. I release her wrists and put my finger to my lips, telling her to be quiet and then pointing at Carly. Sam glances at her quickly before turning back to me, nodding her head. I get off of her, freeing her legs and pulling my hand away from her mouth. Sam's placid expression suddenly transforms into a glare and she punches me in the stomach, forcing all of the air out of my lungs. I double over, unable to hold back my gasp of pain. We both look at Carly nervously, but she doesn't stir. Sam gets to her feet, careful not to wake Carly with her shifting weight. She grabs my hand and pulls me towards the stairs. I gasp for air, half because of her punch and the other half for her hold on my hand. When we finally get into the iCarly studio, I straighten and glare at her.

"What was that for?" I demand, trying to keep my voice down. She drops my hand and shrugs.

"I don't want you to get the idea that it's okay to wake me by lying on top of me." She says absently. I'm relieved that she's not angry from our fight earlier or my wake up call. It would be kind of hard to wake up to your frenemie in your face.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I didn't want Carly to wake up." I explain guiltily. Sam nods her head but her eyes are fixed on something in the distance. Almost like she senses the thought, she blinks and shifts her focus back to me.

"What do you want?" She asks, folding her arms across her chest. I study the few feet between us, noting that it feels like a million feet.

"I just wanted to talk." She looks at me blankly. "I get that you're mad at me and-."

"I'm not mad at you." Sam cuts me off. I don't believe her, even though the lie is flawless.

"Okay, okay." I say to pacify her. "Now, don't get me wrong, I enjoy our little arguments just as much as you do; but lately they've been more like fights than arguments." Sam nods, a gesture I almost miss in the darkness of the studio. "Maybe we should….back off… until the play is over." I look at her hopefully and I'm happy to see that she's actually considering it.

"So…you're saying that we don't argue, at all?" Her tone is oddly deflated.

"No, no! Just that we don't bring any of the anger that we may or may not have," I flash her a sarcastic look. "into our arguments." Sam nods her head slowly, uncrossing her arms.

"Okay, easy enough. I'll check you and you'll check me if we do." There's an awkward pause before I think of something to say.

"Hey, you know all those lines we have to memorize?" Sam looks at me like I'm stupid. "Uhh, right. So, did you want to practice tomorrow after rehearsal?" I hold my breath and put on my best begging face. Sam rolls her eyes but she's fighting a laugh.

"You're such a dork. Goodnight." Sam pushes past me and opens the studio door. It takes me a few seconds to recover from the shock of her touch.

"Was that a yes?" I ask, turning to face her as she pauses at the door. Her smirk grows more pronounced and she leans against the door frame.

"Were you expecting a no?" Her tone is playful and she chuckles under her breath before closing the door behind her.

**Haha****, love Sam's last line. Just so SAM (in my opinion)! So...did you love it? Did you hate it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My ****fav**** part? Either Sam's last line or their fight: "Fine!" What was your ****fav**** part? Did you not have a ****fav**** part ****cuz**** it was so terrible?**

**You know that poll I was talking about last week? Whether the play should be modern costumes or old fashioned costumes? ****Well it's TIED! I can't have a TIE! If you haven't voted yet, just go to my profile and get your opinion in! If you have already voted, thanks! But you can tell all your friends to vote too. :) I'VE ALSO UPDATED ALL OF THE SNEAK PEEKS ON MY PROFILE, SO GO CHECK IT OUT!**

**Thanks to my completely fantastical reviewers from last chapter: ****ChaosKeks****, xx-****SamxFreddie****-xx, Kpfan72491, ****Mystapleza****, mirage888, smiley face, icecoffee18, ****Seddielovergrl****, Autumn, ****Ivyheart****, tiredandhungry, bella3590, ****iLet**** it Rock, and Ali! Reviews really keep me going and make me write better, so please review! :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: Added your latest challenge yesterday night, so everything is up to date! Last chapter of iShakespeare is probably one of my favorites that I've published so far. :D**

**TO AUTUMN: Ouch! I've had that happen to me before and I absolutely hate it when that happens! At least you can empathize with Freddie...**

**TO IVYHEART: No gossip mafia next chapter. :( BUT A WHOLE LOT OF SEDDIE! :D**

**TO ALI: Wow, thanks! It sounds like something I would do the night before a big test. Glad you liked it so much! :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading, reviewing, and (it's your right as a fellow ****Seddier****) voting! :D**


	25. Check

**Ahhh! Did you guys see iGot A Hot Room? Loved it! It had some GREAT Seddie in there! :D Read on...**

Carly POV 3:58AM Day 9

I listen carefully from the hallway, outside the studio. The sound of footsteps and the door opening puts me in a panic and I hurry to hide behind the door that opens to the stairs. I strain my ears, catching Sam's response.

"Were you expecting a no?" She speaks lighty, almost amused. I hear her footsteps again and I run down the stairs, careful to make no sound. I'm on the last flight of stairs and Sam is right around the corner behind me.

_She's going to see me, she's going to catch me._ I realize desperately, my heart racing in my chest. I'm about to dive over the back of the couch to safety when I hear Sam's footsteps halt and Freddie's voice.

"So, we're friends right?" He asks awkwardly. Curiosity forces me to creep back up the stairs and peek around the corner.

"Yeah, so?" Sam finally answers. Freddie smiles and pulls her into a tight hug that is anything but just friendly. I clap my hand over my mouth, already reaching for my pear phone. I quickly disable the sound and the flash, taking the picture right before Sam pulls away. "What was that for?"

"Friends hug each other all the time." Freddie shrugs and smiles angelically. Deciding not to push my luck any further, I silently run back to the couch and settle in the position that I had woken up in. I heard two pairs of footsteps and felt the couch move when Sam sat down.

"Night, Benson." She whispers. Even with my eyes closed, I can picture her smirk.

"Night, Princess Puckett." Freddie whispers back. I hear the slight squeak of the apartment door opening and then closing. It's a long time before Sam leans against me to fall asleep.

Sam POV 6:34AM Day 9

The smell of bacon drifted through the Shays' apartment, waking me up. I realize that Carly must be cooking the bacon because my comfortable pillow is gone. Reluctantly, I get to my feet and stretch.

"Morning, Sam!" Carly's voice is way too upbeat for this hour of the morning. I stroll over to the island, following the smell of bacon.

"Morning, Carls." I reply dully, sitting on the stool closest to the computer. She brings the plate of bacon over and I immediately dig in.

"So, how was your night?" Carly asks, grabbing a piece before I can eat it. I look at her with the tiniest hint of suspicion.

"Uneventful. Yours?" Lie. My night had been very eventful. First I wake up with Freddie on top of me, which scared the crap out of me and made me feel like every bone in my body had been replaced with Jello. Not to mention the sudden loss of brain function and the pounding of my heart that had nothing to do with being surprised. It pissed me off to no end. Then he tells me that he doesn't want us to fight because it brings out too much of our actual anger. It's kind of stupid, considering that neither of us is going to admit that we're angry in the first place and we're going to wait for it to die out, unresolved. I'm snapped back to the present when Carly mentions Freddie. "Sorry, Carls. What did you say?"

"I said that my night was uneventful too but I was surprised that Freddie didn't come over to see you." She's clearly frustrated that I hadn't been listening before and I try to make amends.

"Sorry, Carls. I just zoned out for a minute there." I say guiltily. Carly scoffs and picks up another piece of bacon.

"Whatever, Sam." Her anger seems strangely intense for the situation and I frown.

"What's wrong with you?" I ask, honestly worried. Carly shoots me an ice glare and rises from the table.

"It's nothing. Just let it be." She whispers, quoting me. Shock, disbelief, hurt, horror; you name it and I was feeling it.

"You heard our fight at lunch." I whisper, suddenly not very hungry anymore. Carly sighs and I can tell that her anger has turned to guilt.

"Yes. Why don't you and Freddie just talk about it?" She suggests, moving to stand next to me. She rests her hand on my shoulder lightly in an attempt to comfort me.

"There's nothing to talk about." I say shortly. I'm determined not to look at Carly because I know that she's going to try to get the truth out of me. I hop down from the stool and stand by the elevator. "Believe me, Carls, I've already done everything I can. I'm going to take a shower." I step into the elevator and sink to the floor the second the doors close.

Freddie POV 7:00AM Day 9

I check my watch and pace nervously outside Carly's door. I've been waiting for the past ten minutes and they still haven't come out. I hear the click of the chain being taken off and lean against my apartment door, waiting.

"Come on, Sam! There must be _something_ you can do." Carly's frustrated voice says as she pulls the door open.

"I'm not having this conversation." Sam's flat monotone is enough to make my palms sweat and my heart race, but it also makes me frown. What were they talking about?

"You can't just leave it like this! Just work it out with him!" Carly argues, waiting for Sam to close the door behind her. Neither of them has noticed me yet, both too intent on their conversation. I push off of the door and they both sense the movement, quickly turning to face me.

"Morning, Carly." I nod my head at her briefly before turning my gaze to Sam.

"Morning, Sam." Her blue eyes are more chaotic than usual, clashing with her apparent monotone. I switch my gaze back to Carly reluctantly when she speaks.

"Oh, no! I totally forgot that we have that paper due in Mr. Stanley's class today! I have to go finish." Carly is slightly panicky and is pulling open her door when she glances back at us. "Oh…Freddie could you walk Sam to school for me?" I barely catch her sly grin before the door closes behind her. My eyes flicker back to Sam quickly. She's still staring after Carly in disbelief. I open my mouth to ask her what's wrong, but she speaks first.

"Ugh! I hate that little backstabber!" Sam yells, kicking the Shay's door. My chest twists painfully and a lump forms in my throat. Was it really so awful that I had to walk her to school? Sam turns away from the door, readjusting her backpack before she looks up at me. I instinctively hide the hurt, knowing that it will only cause me more pain later. It's at that very moment that I realize that I've been burying all of this emotion and one day it's going to have to come out. I shudder at the thought and determine that I won't ever let it happen when I'm around Sam. "So, we gonna go or what?" Sam asks, some of the dullness extinguished from her eyes. I nod faintly, following her to the elevators.

Sam POV 7:08AM Day 9

I swear, one of these days, I'm going to kill Carly Shay. It was all her fault that I was standing in an elevator with Freddie, one of the last people I wanted to be with. Mostly because he was the person that I wanted to be around the most. I allow my eyes to dart quickly to his face before settling on the floor. He had looked just as upset as I did, no doubt missing Carly. My heart sinks and I feel a sharp stab in my chest. I grimace and exit the elevator when the doors ding open. Freddie walks beside me just like he did after sixth period yesterday. Despite the painful twinge it causes in my chest, being around Freddie is reassuring and comfortable. It's the craziest thing! I don't have to touch him or even look at him, but just knowing that he's there is like some huge relief. When I wasn't around Freddie it was like this huge weight was on my shoulders, pulling me down. Except, as soon as I saw him, it was gone and I kind of….floated. I grit my teeth and ball my hands into fists. I absolutely hate it. It's almost as bad as him saving my life, only improved by the fact that no one knows about it.

"You okay, Sam?" Freddie asks, cautiously eyeing my fists. I suddenly feel the urge to lash out, to hurt him.

"Mind your own business, Freddork!" I say viciously, glaring at him. Freddie looks at me blankly, keeping up when I quicken my pace.

"Check." He finally says. I look at him and my intense anger remaining.

"What?" I hiss under my breath, trying to burn him alive with my eyes. Freddie turns his gaze from the sidewalk in front of us to me.

"Last night we said that we would check each other. I'm checking you." He says calmly, still avoiding my eyes. My anger disappears completely, leaving confusion in its wake. I digest his words, quickly coming up with a way to cover for my anger.

"I'm just angry because I have to walk to school with _you_." I spit my words at him, still determined to hurt him. Freddie directs his attention at me and he's infuriatingly calm.

"You had no problem walking with me yesterday." He says tonelessly, quickly looking away when I try to lock eyes with him.

"It's called keeping in character, Freddoofus! I wouldn't walk with you if I didn't have to, believe me." In the heat of anger, I know I'm not thinking straight, too caught up in all of the things that Freddie had done (knowingly or unknowingly) that had hurt me.

"Whatever, Sam." He avoids my eyes and I've obviously gotten to him. Congratulations, Puckett. I bite my lip, already regretting everything.

"Look, Benson, I'm-." I start to say before Freddie cuts me off.

"Forget it." He holds the door of the school open for me and I reluctantly go inside.

"But I-." I start again.

"I don't care." Freddie says, trying to hide his hurt. He shakes his head, refusing to look at me, and walks away. I guess I can add causing Freddie pain to my quickly growing list of things that I wish I had never done. Item number one on my list of things I wished I had never done? I wish I had never fallen for someone who won't ever love me back. Of course, my mom would have something to say about that. She'd tell me that I shouldn't have fallen for someone at all.

**Ahh...foreshadowing. So did you think it was completely Seddie? Or completely suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? Hmm...the Seddie hug or Freddie turning Sam's bones to jello! :D**

**Remember that poll? Well the winner is...Modern! Sorry if you voted for old fashioned, but I promise to make a very Seddie moment when they have to try on their costumes! :)**

**I got so much AMAZING feedback from my AMAZING reviewers last chapeter! Thanks to: ChaosKeks, Mystapleza, MythScavenger, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Kpfan72491, Castle-Of-Bones, Ivyheart, smiley face, Seddielovergrl, Gabsikle, alma, Autumn, mirage888, icecoffee18, Lanter, Julietta, Ashlee Seddie, CandyRox12, and Clara Powell! Thanks A BILLION! :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Awesome! My dog voted...for both. I didn't say she was a smart dog! :)**

**TO SMILEY FACE: THERE WILL BE SEDDIE! I think I just might use that! Do you mind? :)**

**TO ALMA: Did this chapter have enough Seddie for you? Sam's going to have apologize soon so that should be interesting...**

**TO AUTUMN: Yay for no concussions! Let's just say that Freddie is going to waking Sam up...a lot...in future chapters. :D**

**TO JULIETTA: I keep making Freddie and Sam mad at each other because I think, if put in this scenario, they wouldn't be able to handle all of the extra stress and anger without going off on each other. The positive thing is they keep having to apologize, and heartfelt apologies always pull people closer together. :D**

**So...that's about it! Really hoped you like this chapter, but my next update will be in three days (Tuesday) because I'm really feeling the crunch to get my summer homework done! Thanks for reading and *fingers crossed* reviewing! :D**


	26. It's All In The Body Language

**I made this chapter kinda long, so ENJOY! Please review cuz it gives motivation to the lazy (me)! :D**

Wendy POV 7:20AM Day 9

I walk over to the group quickly, knowing that I'm already late for our meeting. I sit at the head of the library table, scanning the faces in front of me. Everyone was here except for Carly. I nod my head apologetically.

"Sorry, everyone. I had to follow up on something." I say, picking up my gavel. Everyone smiles and murmurs an acceptance to my apology.

"What were you following up on?" Mya asks, curious. I roll my eyes and groan.

"Don't even get me started. I had to follow up on a tip from Sarah Welker." I roll my eyes again and sympathetic sounds echo from everyone. Sarah Welker was an infamously unreliable tipper. She'd been the one to us that Spencer Shay had visions of the future. Another tip came when she told us that Griffin, Carly's boyfriend, collected pee wee babies. She'd also been the one that tried to convince us that Sam had a twin. So we never gave her tips much credit.

"What did she tell you this time?" Paige asks, flipping some hair over her shoulder. I pull out my phone and pull up the text.

"She reported that Freddie was walking Sam to school, which is completely ridiculous. They're in a fight right now." Before anyone can respond, Carly burst into the library and receives a swift scolding from the librarian.

"Sorry Ms. Alexander! I'll keep it down next time." Carly promises before hurrying over to the table and taking the last available seat. "Sorry I'm late everybody. I had to come up with an excuse for Sam and Freddie to walk to school together." She brushes some hair out of her face, a little out of breath. I raise my eyebrows and set my phone on the table slowly.

"So Freddie DID walk Sam to school today? HOW?" I ask in disbelief. Carly smiles with pride.

"I told them that I had to finish a paper and that they should go without me." Murmurs of approval run through the other girls and I see a few smiles.

"Anything else to report?" I ask, watching her reaction carefully. Her hand twitches towards her jacket pocket where her phone is, but she hesitates. "What do you have on your phone?" I ask quietly, letting Carly know that I was onto her.

"Oh, it's.." She pauses, reaching into her pocket and staring at her phone.

"Carly." I warn silently, holding her to her contract. Her face sours, but she presses a few buttons on her phone and sulkily slides her phone to the middle of the table. I study the picture of Sam and Freddie hugging, knowing that they're still in a fight, no matter what. They were both to stubbornly angry for it to end this quickly. There's a period of shocked silence and then all of my gossip girls are jumping up and down, celebrating.

"Ms. Prescott! Control them or get out!" Ms. Alexander threatens. She looks a little like a vulture as she perches her glasses on the edge of her nose an glares at me.

"Okay, okay girls! Calm down!" I yell, banging my gavel for emphasis. The girls take their seats again, still whispering happily. "So, Carly." She looks up at me, taking her phone back from the center of the table. "How long did that hug last?" Carly thinks carefully before answering.

"Maybe ten seconds? Eighteen seconds at the most. Something like that." I raise my eyebrows and reach my hand out, palm up. "Can I see it again?" Carly nods and pulls out her phone again. She pulls the picture up on the screen quickly and hands it to me. I study the picture carefully, taking in the body language. I look up and meet Carly's curious stare. "They're still furious." I turn to Candice, who's sitting to my right and give her a look.

"Tell him to back off a little." I tell her grimly. Candice nods, relief and determination mingling in her expression.

"I'm on it." Candice says as she rises to her feet. She quickly walks out the door and I turn my attention back to Carly. Carly's eyebrows are scrunched together in confusion and she follows Candice's progress out the door.

Carly POV 7:30AM Day 9

I watch as Candice leaves, still trying to figure out what's going on. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Wendy turn her attention back to me.

"What was that about?" I ask her, trying to get something out of her blank expression. Wendy sighs at my pleading expression.

"I can't tell you. You would try to stop it, even though it's necessary." She says, annoyed. I pull out my puppy dog eyes and desperately try to get what I want.

"Please? At least a hint." Wendy rolls her eyes at my pleading face and pounds her gavel loudly, rising to her feet.

"Lacy, Emily, and Tasha meet me at lunch to go over dating statistics and probabilities. Candice and Mya, remember that you're meeting sources at the park after school. Heather and Paige are mingling today, trying to pick up new rumors and sources. Remember that our focus is Sam and Freddie, but we've also got to keep an eye on the Rosco situation. We also have a few tips that need to be followed up. Meeting adjourned." All of the girls stand, nodding and walking away when Wendy assigned them a job. I shake my head, again astonished with the businesslike efficiency. Wendy rises to her feet and readjusts her purse before walking away. It had killed me to show them that picture, but I need to know what Sam and Freddie were feeling right now. Wendy was able to read body language better than anyone else I knew.

"Wait!" Wendy turns at the sound of my voice. "What else can you tell me from that picture?" I stand, relieved when Wendy actually seems to consider it.

"Okay, let me see it really quick." She agrees. I grab my phone and quickly pull up the picture. I hold it in between us so that she can point things out. "That. See how both of them have their hands clenched into fists? That's body language for angry." Wendy furrows her brow. "Except they're both so conflicted, it's hard to tell much else. There's the obvious preference to be close together because they held the hug so long…" Wendy frowns and turns to look at me. "Who actually started the hug?" I think back carefully, remembering Freddie's whole 'friend' thing.

"Freddie." I finally answer. Wendy raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really? Wow. He must really like her. You make a guy that jealous and then he hugs you like this…" Wendy focuses on the picture again. "There. You see Freddie's eyebrows? They're all scrunched up and that's the classic body language for confused or conflicted. Also, Sam. She's biting her lip. In this case, it's most likely because she's under a lot of pressure."

"You can tell all of that from one picture?" I wonder, surprised again. Wendy shrugs.

"It's kind of my job, but I have to get to class now! Meeting Friday morning!" Wendy calls back to me as she pushes open the library door. I stuff my pear phone in my purse, jogging so I won't be late for class. I make it to my class at the last minute, breathing hard. Resisting the urge to take out my pear phone and study the picture again, I try to focus on my history teacher's lecture. My mind keeps stubbornly drifting to what Wendy had told me. Freddie and Sam _were _both furious, but they were also conflicted about something. I only wished Wendy could read body language well enough to tell me _what _they're conflicted about.

Gibby POV 12:08PM Day 9

I set my lunch tray down at the table, still bummed that Tasha had had to meet Wendy at lunch today. The only other people at the table are Sam and Carly, and they're debating the pros and cons of the sports bra. Needless to say, I immediately give up on that conversation and tune them out. The last week had been one of the best of my life, free of Sam's pranks and malicious intent on causing me pain. She'd actually slowed down the last few years, becoming less of a bully and more of a friend. It suddenly occurs to me that Freddie isn't here and I look around the cafeteria, wondering where he could be. I finally spot him walking over with his lunchbox in hand. His mom didn't trust the school food and she made Freddie bring lunch every day. I carefully poke at the mystery meat and shudder when it moves. Maybe I should start bringing lunch too. Hearing footsteps, I glance up at Freddie. He sets down his lunch and scoots to the far end of the table. I watch as he purposely gets as far as possible from Sam and silently opens his lunchbox. This isn't just normal silence though. There was an awkward tension and I realized that it was coming from Sam. She stares at Freddie, almost like a chess player waiting for an opponent to make the first move. When Freddie ignores her, Sam sighs and turns back to Carly. I watch with increasing interest as Carly stares down Sam, angry about something. If I had to pick words to go with her facial expression, I would probably think of something along the lines of _what did you do?_ I switch my focus back and forth between the two girls sitting across from us, watching them trade looks. Sam was shaking her head in refusal to whatever Carly was demanding she did. Freddie sat eating his sandwich and ignoring all of us. I'm surprised when Sam starts to crack under Carly's demands. She rolls her eyes and turns her gaze on Freddie.

"Fredison?" Sam looks at him guiltily. What had she possibly done to make her feel guilty? Sam didn't feel guilt. I had the pairs of ruined underwear to prove it. I snap back to focus when Sam calls his name again. "Fredhead?" He ignores her, starting to eat his baby carrots. "I know you can hear me, Benson." Sam tries again, frustrated. Freddie pulls out some ranch and dips one of his carrots before eating it. My eyes widen at his nerve. Sure, Sam wasn't allowed to bully at school anymore, but Freddie was really pushing his luck. I watch cautiously as Sam's hands ball into fists and she tries one more time. "Answer me, dork." She whispers in a deadly undertone. I suddenly realize that I'm in a very bad position: in between Sam and Freddie. I edge away from Freddie, hanging half off of the bench. Sure enough, Sam lunges up from her seat and goes around the table to get to Freddie. He doesn't acknowledge her even when she jerks him to his feet by the collar of his shirt. Seriously, does he _want _to die? He stares at the ground to avoid even looking at her. Sam switches tactics, loosening her grip on his collar and backing out of his face a little. "Freddie?" she asks softly. He looks up in surprise at her tone, accidently meeting her eyes. "Check." Freddie's eyes narrow and he shoves Sam off of him.

"It doesn't work that way, Puckett!" He spat the words at her and I edge away, knowing this is going to get ugly. To my immense surprise, Sam keeps her temper. She steps closer to Freddie again and stares at him coolly.

"Check." She repeats the word again and I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion. It must be some type of codeword or something because Freddie's angry expression immediately fades and Sam eases closer, allowing about a foot of space in between them. Her gaze is fixed on Freddie's face and her eyes plead with him. If I didn't know any better, I would say that she was asking for forgiveness. Fortunately, I knew better. This was Sam Puckett, and she didn't ask for forgiveness. Freddie stares back at her for a long moment before looking away, nodding in acceptance.

"Fine." He says quietly, pushing past Sam and allowing his hand to linger on her arm a second more than was necessary. Freddie grabs his lunch and picks up his backpack.

"Sixth period?" Sam asks him, relief from his acceptance the most obvious emotion in her voice. Freddie pauses as he begins to walk away, avoiding Sam's eyes.

"Maybe. Depends if Pete wants to." His voice is sour and he strides away quickly, eager to get away. I look at Sam in confusion, catching a brief flicker of hurt in her eyes before she pulls on a slightly bored expression. She turns and sees Carly with her phone out.

**DUN DUN DUNNN! Is Carly gonna get caught? If you thought this was a filler chapter (it actually kinda was...) than go back and read it again because you've missed some extremely obvious foreshadowing! :)**

**My fav part? Probably how Wendy can read body language so well! It's like she has a freakin' superpower! Oh, and if you were wondering, I really did take the time to look up body language info so it's all accurate. What was your fav part? Did you not have a fav part cuz it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to the reviewers! You guys (and girls) are amazing: ChaosKeks, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Autumn, alma, bella3590, Kpfan72491, smiley face, coketree20, UnknownDreamer, Seddielovergrl, MiiMii, Castle-of-Bones, Ashlee Seddie, MultiSeddielover, iLet it Rock, mirage888, Mystapleza, Ivyheart, PartyPooper845, icecoffee18, and Gabsikle! You want a cool shout out like these people? You just gotta REVIEW! :D**

**TO AUTUMN: Thanks! It's going to be a few chapters before Freddie wakes up Sam again, but (how much should I give away?) it's going to build to become a big part of the story, just not in a way that you'll expect! :)**

**TO ALMA: Hope Sam's apology was in character. I think that her not having to say anything out loud made it easier for her! Next chapter's gonna be good! :D**

**TO SMILEY FACE: Haha, it's not a burden cuz they make me laugh. I do have to admit that I had a little bit of a WTF? moment when I read the witch one, but I like it! :)**

**TO UNKNOWN DREAMER: I think that this whole thing is putting so much stress on them that they don't really have a choice but to fight. :( But it has to get worse before it gets better, right?**

**TO MIIMII: Wow, thanks! In a few chapters, someone is going to have a serious talk that kind of explains why Freddie and Sam are so clueless. :)**

**TO IVYHEART: I LOVE TIVA! Sorry, kinda random in a Seddie story but they are one of my fav couples too! :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks a BILLION for reading and review cuz it motivates me to write! :D**


	27. What Did You DO!

**Read on my fellow Seddiers... oh, and thanks so much for helping me clear 400! *does victory dance***

Gibby POV (continued)

"Did you just take a picture?" She demands angrily, taking a threatening step forward. Carly puts the phone down and looks up guiltily.

"No! I was texting Griffin! So what was that about Pete?" Carly is way too defensive, but she covers with a question. Sam plops down next to Carly but she only seems half there.

"Oh yeah… I kinda forgot to tell you that Pete asked me out yesterday." Sam reaches for Carly's ham sandwich and takes a huge bite. I shift my attention back to Carly. Her face is frozen in shock and horror as she processes Sam words. Why did that upset her so much? Did she have a crush on Pete or something?

"You okay, Carly?" I ask after she continues to stare off into space with the same tortured expression. My words bring her back to us and she looks at me in surprise.

"Fine. I just have to go see someone." Her strained tone gives her away. She's panicking over something, horrorstruck by the very idea. Sam finishes Carly's sandwich and licks her fingers.

"Okay, Carls. See you after school." Sam says, way too distracted to notice how distraught Carly is. Carly nods quickly and jumps to her feet.

"Bye!" She calls before running off in the direction of the library. Maybe she had a paper due or something. I shrug and turn to eat my lunch. Only it's gone, not a crumb left on my tray. I slowly raise my eyes to look at Sam. She licks her fingers again and grins at me.

"Sorry Gibby. You snooze, you lose."

Wendy POV 12:25PM Day 9

"Okay, so we've gone through all of the raw data." I say, shoving aside the last of the papers and turning to look at Emily. "Who's trending this week?" Emily looks down at her paper that has all of the digested data. "Hmm. Tasha and Gibby take an eight point gain, putting them at twenty two percent." Tasha high fives Lacy and I whisper a congratulations before Emily continues. "Magic Malika and Shane are down four points, putting them at a twelve percent." I shake my head, wondering how that one had ever happened. "Carly and Griffin have a six point gain, putting them at eighteen percent." Emily pauses and I look at her curiously. Emily was our statistics buff specifically because she didn't react to data, not matter how shocking it is. "We must have counted wrong or messed up somehow.." She trails off, still staring at her paper in disbelief.

"What is it?" I ask, leaning forward and bracing myself for the worst. Emily shakes her head, her eyes still wide as saucers.

"They're trending." Her eyes wander until they land on my face. "You have to be dating to trend." I watch anxiously as she looks over the surveys to double check her figures. When she finishes, she sets her pencil down slowly and looks up at me. "Sam and Freddie are trending." I rock back in my seat and look at her in shock. "That's not even the best part. You remember how our biggest trend ever was when Carly and Griffin started going out?" I nod my head faintly.

"They trended a thirty percent gain. How could I forget our biggest trend ever?" I say, noting that Tasha and Lacy are just as stunned as I am. Emily shakes her head and a slightly hysterical laugh escapes her.

"Sam and Freddie just trended a forty eight percent gain." I freeze and almost forget to breathe. Trending was difficult. We gathered our data for trending by random surveys and idle conversations. The first couple that a student mentioned became a trend, and we calculated our percentages this way. If you posted a gain, then that meant that people liked you as a couple. If you posted a loss, than people spoke negatively about you. I bury my head in my hands and try to wrap my head around it. Suddenly, I feel a sharp poke on my shoulder accompanied by an even sharper voice.

"What did you DO, Wendy?" Carly says angrily and I look up at her slowly. She catches my expression and sits in the chair next to me. "What's wrong?" Carly demands, her tone only a little calmer than before. I shift my eyes to Emily and give her a swift nod. Emily nods in response and slides her paper across the table to Carly.

"They're trending." She says softly and Carly looks down at the papers. She reads the figures quickly and she gasps when she gets to the last one.

"But, they can't!" Carly says frantically when she's finally able to speak. She looks up at me in panic. "They aren't even dating!" I rise to my feet and look at the paper clutched in Carly's hand.

"If they know, they're going to kill each other and we have no chance." I shift my eyes to focus on Emily. "Lie, just this once." The school bell rings and I walk away, pulling my purse closer. As a rule, we didn't lie. This would be the only exception. Everything would be ruined if Sam and Freddie knew that people were starting to think of them as a couple.

Freddie POV 2:15PM Day 9

I brace myself as best I could before turning to face Pete with a forced smile. Pete stares off into space and I clear my throat before I speak to get his attention.

"Hey, Pete." I greet him. Pete smiles in response and turns to face me.

"What's going on, dude?" I resist the urge to punch the smile of off his face and inject my tone with happiness.

"Well, I was talking to Sam today and she wants one of us to walk her from sixth period to the theater." A lump forms in my throat but I force myself to continue. "Do you want to?" I watch Pete carefully, noting his hesitation.

"My locker's actually kind of far away from her class. I need to drop off my math book before rehearsal. Could you walk her for me?" Pete's a terrible liar, but I don't care. I conceal my excitement and relief with indifference.

"Oh. Okay, I'll walk her to rehearsal then." Pete nods his head and grins.

"Thanks, dude." He thanks me and I can't hold back the small smile that steals across my face.

"My pleasure."

Sam POV 2:30PM Day 9

I tapped my foot impatiently, not bothering to listen to Mr. Howard's lecture. Would it be Freddie or Pete today? As much as I hated it and no matter how self destructive it may be, I wanted it to be Freddie. It had sort of become out thing, a little tradition that was born in a few days. But it was ours, all the same. The bell finally rings and I get to my feet slowly, shuffling towards the door. My heart, torn in two thanks to Benson, accelerates and I wince at the slight stinging that originates at my chest. I keep my head down and begin to walk to the theater, hearing someone fall into step next to me. Peeking out of the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of brown and breathe a sigh of relief. We walk in silence, Freddie trying to get in character and me trying to pretend that I'm doing the same. He holds the door open for me like usual and I ignore the gesture, hating that I liked it. He follows me up to the stage, a reassuring presence right behind me. We join the rest of the drama program, sitting on the stage and waiting for Ms. Esposito to speak.

"Everyone here, my chickens?" Ms. Esposito studies the stage for a minute from her table in the audience. "Okay. We need to assign everyone to a fitter to take measurements, so please line up so I can see you all. Pip pip! Hustle, my chickens!" I get to my feet and stand next to Freddie, turning to face Carly when she slips next to me on my other side. Her face is even more pale than usual and I nudge Freddie, pointing at Carly. Freddie mirrors my concern, reaching out to touch Carly's arm gently.

Carly POV 2:45PM Day 9

"What's wrong?" Freddie asks me, touching my arm lightly. I try to clear my face of emotion, still working to digest all that I had learned at lunch. Wendy and I needed to have a serious talk, but she had distracted me at lunch. Pete was going out with Sam because Wendy had somehow set it up. Freddie's anger at rehearsal yesterday had been pure, undiluted jealously. I frown, thinking back to when Freddie had liked me. He hadn't even been close to that upset when I had gone out with other guys. Then there was the whole trending thing. Only the most popular COUPLES trended. Sam and Freddie weren't even going out! They would freak out and kill each other if they knew that anyone even had thought about them that way. To top it all off, there had been that confrontation at lunch between the two. I had taken a picture of them almost automatically. In the picture, Sam and Freddie are about a foot apart. Sam is pleading with Freddie, something I never thought I'd ever see. Freddie seems very far away, his eyes filled with hurt but his expression relenting as he forgives Sam. Sam had almost caught me after I took the picture, but luckily I had distracted her.

"Carly?" Sam asks, breaking me out of my thoughts. I look between Freddie and Sam, seeing the same concern in both of their expressions. Without even noticing it, they shift to be closer together, Sam's head inches from resting on Freddie's arm.

"You two are so blind." I whisper to myself, careful to be quiet enough that they won't hear. Sure enough, they both look at me in confusion.

"What?" They ask at the same time. I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes. There it was again.

"I'm fine." I say, turning my attention back to Ms. Esposito. Sam and Freddie follow my lead and turn back to face the drama teacher.

Sam POV 2:50PM Day 9

"All Capulet girls will go with Kayla. All Capulet boys will go with Aidan. All Montague boys will go with Mark. All Montague girls will go with Becky. Anyone not affiliated with either house will go Gary for boys and Laura for girls. Disperse, my chickens! We'll try on the costumes tomorrow!" Carly and I head towards Kayla (apparently Rosaline is related to the Capulets. Who knew?). I watch Freddie head over to Mark and high five Gibby, grinning. I smile to myself and continue to watch Freddie greet his fellow Montagues.

"Hey, Sam?" I reluctantly turn to face Carly. "When are you going out with Pete?" My muscles tense up automatically and I remember why I had agreed to go out with Pete in the first place. I needed to get over Freddie.

"After we get finished with this stupid play." I keep my voice toneless, not wanting Carly to over analyze it. She still searches my blank face, trying to find a foot hole. I don't give her anything.

"Are you coming over after we finish here so we can brainstorm for the next iCarly?" Carly asks, still searching for her foot hole. I falter, thinking about my agreement to run lines with Freddie after rehearsal.

"I've actually got to meet somebody." Carly's eyes bore into me, obviously catching my falter.

"Okay." She finally says. Someone points me backstage and we're all being led into a room to be measured.

**So, how may of you saw that coming? How many of you didn't see it coming? Leave a review to tell me! My fav part? Probably Carly **_**finally **_**figuring out what Wendy's been up to. Did she figure it out before you did? :) NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP MONDAY!**

**HUGE thanks to all of the reviewers: Autumn, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Virgoleo23, UnknownDreamer, Kpfan72491, Sarah, ChaosKeks, Ashlee Seddie, smiley face, Ivyheart, mygirl1807, Seddielovergrl, mirage888, bella3590, icecoffee18, Mystapleza, iLet it Rock, cdthedude, and Phoenix-Chick12! **

**TO AUTUMN: Everything is happening for a reason...just wait! :)**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: This story is going to be LONG! It isn't going to wrap up anytime soon, but there will plenty of Seddie moments and surprises along the way to keep you entertained! :)**

**TO UNKNOWNDREAMER: I love Gibby! Need to do another POV and I just had to put him in there! :D**

**TO SARAH: Thanks! I kinda cheated and I'm already done with the ending (EPIC SEDDIE), but it's going to take a while to get there! :D**

**TO SMILEYFACE: Lucky! School starts in less than a week and I've still got a bunch of homework. :(**

**TO IVYHEART: Wendy's knowledge of body language is probably going to come into play later in the story! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please review! :D**


	28. It's Not Us, It's Romeo and Juliet

**Are you ready for the ****Seddie****? Read on...**

**Warning: There is some real Shakespeare in this chapter, but I included translations!**

Freddie POV 4:00PM Day 9

I watch the last of the drama people leave, waiting until the door closes behind them before pulling our scripts out of my backpack. Sam gets up from one of the seats in the front row, climbing onto the stage easily. She strolls over lazily and takes the script that I hold out for her.

"How are we supposed to memorize this if we practice with the scripts?" She asks, flipping through the pages.

"Well, we go through the scene once with the script, but then one person tries to do all their lines without the script while the other one has a script and makes sure they do it all right. Then we switch." I explain, watching as Sam pauses on a page. "Do you want to do that scene?" I ask, stepping closer to get a look. Sam pulls the script away before I can see what scene she was reading, holding it to her chest.

"We can't really do this scene Fredwad. It's Romeo and Rosaline." She explains, turning her attention back to the script. I scrunch my eyebrows together in confusion and flip through my script until I find the scene.

"Ms. Esposito gave Carly a speaking part?" I ask, remembering that Rosaline isn't even usually shown in productions of Romeo and Juliet.

"Yep." Sam points at one of Rosaline's lines and laughs. "She's rejecting you. Shouldn't be anything new then." She laughs again and I shake my head, amused and annoyed at the same time.

"Nice, Sam. You're such a great friend." I say sarcastically, careful not to fumble on the word 'friend'. Sam smiles, looking up at me and cocking one of her eyebrows.

"That I am." She looks down at her script, still smiling, and hums while she flips through the pages. I stare at her, grinning like an idiot. Being with Sam when we aren't fighting made me feel extremely buoyant, like I was floating. I look down at my script again, still smiling, and flip through the pages. I arrive at Act II, Scene 6 and, without thinking, speak.

"Hey, Sam do you want to get married?" I ask, glancing up at her. Sam's hand freezes on the page she's reading, her eyes slowly rising to rest on my face.

"What?" She asks in shock, her voice catching. I raise my eyebrows and point at my script.

"Do you want do the scene where Romeo and Juliet get married?" I clarify, wondering what was up with her. Sam's eyes drop back to her script, hiding her expression.

"Oh, right. Um...sure, I guess." Sam's voice is off and I wonder what I had said to upset her. She flips through the pages until she finds the page that I'm talking about. "It doesn't look very long. Okay, let's do it."

"I'll be Friar Lawrence, too." I tell her. Sam nods once, her eyes never leaving her script. I clear my throat and look down at my script.

"So smile the heavens upon this holy act

That after-hours with sorrow chide us not!"

_Translation: May heaven smile upon this holy ceremony, and may sorrow never punish us for it in days to come._

I had lowered my voice dramatically to indicate that I was the Friar, switching to my normal voice when I speak again.

"Amen, amen! But come what sorrow can,

It cannot countervail the exchange of joy

That one short minute gives me in her sight.

Do thou but close our hands with holy words,

Then love-devouring death do what he dare.

It is enough I may but call her mine."

_Translation: Amen, amen! But whatever sorrow may come, it can never outweigh the joy from one short minute of seeing her. Just join our hands in holy matrimony, then love consuming death can do whatever it dares. It's enough that I can call her mine._

I speak slowly, wishing that the words I spoke were true. When I finish, I glance up and catch Sam watching me. Her eyes are filled with the last emotion I expect: longing. She really is an amazing actress.

Sam POV 4:15PM Day 9

I quickly turn back to my script when Freddie catches me staring at him. I try to hold myself together as Freddie prepares to lower his voice to portray Friar Lawrence. I only needed to last until my line, and then I could let myself go.

"These violent delights have violent ends,

And in their triumph die; like fire and powder,

Which, as they kiss, consume"

_Translation: These violent passions have violent ends and die at their peak, like fire and gunpowder, which as they meet, destroy themselves._

Freddie falters, clearing his throat before continuing. I keep my eyes on my script, waiting for my chance to release some of the emotion that I was keeping pent up.

"Which, as they kiss, consume. The sweetest honey

Is loathsome in his own deliciousness,

And in the taste confounds the appetite,

Therefore love moderately: long love doth so;

Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

Here comes the lady. O, so light a foot.

Will ne'er wear out the everlasting flint.

A lover may bestride the gossamer

That idles in the wanton summer air

And yet not fall; so light is vanity."

_Translation: Which, as they meet, destroy themselves. The sweetest honey is so delicious that it overfills the appetite. Therefore, love in moderation if you want to endure. In the long run, the hasty arrive no sooner than the slow. [Juliet enters] Here comes the lady. Her feet will never wear out life's hard road! A lover can walk across the gossamer strands of spiders' webs as they drift in the summer air, and still not fall: so insubstantial are the pleasures of this world. _

Freddie seems to have recovered from his fumble earlier, reading the rest of the script cleanly. My next line is supposed to be directed at Friar Lawrence, so I push down all of my emotion and pretend I'm not addressing Freddie.

"Good even to my ghostly confessor."

_Translation: Good afternoon._

I keep my eyes on my script, knowing that looking at Freddie with force some type of emotion into my voice. He clears his throat and prepares to lower his voice again.

"Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both."

_Translation: Romeo will thank you, daughter, on our behalf. [Romeo kisses her]_

I follow Freddie's progress with my script, not peeking ahead. That's why we both reach the stage direction at the same time and look up at each other awkwardly. I blink, noticing for the first time that Freddie is a lot closer than I remembered. Freddie seems to notice this for the first time as well, frowning while he backs away. "How are we going to do it?" He asks, rubbing the back of his neck and letting his script fall to his side. My heart skips a beat before restarting faster than ever.

"Do what?" I ask, feigning confusion. Freddie avoids my eyes, staring out into the sea of red chairs. I turn my eyes to the chairs as well, finding it easier to look at than Freddie.

"How are we going to kiss?" He finally says after a long silence. My breathing picks up to match my heart rate and I chew on my lip nervously. Freddie looks away from the empty chairs and focuses on me. His gaze seems to physically heat my skin and I feel my face flush. I refuse to look at him, still staring out at where all of the people will sit to come watch us.

"It isn't us that are going to be kissing." I say, hoping that he'll buy in. I feel him frown in confusion and I continue. "It's Romeo and Juliet kissing. Not us." I finally shift my eyes to him, catching his thoughtful expression.

"You're absolutely right." He agrees and I nod, turning back to my script. "So…" Freddie begins, waiting for me to look up at him again. I oblige, immediately wary of his sarcastic smile and his raised eyebrow. I'm pretty sure it's a mix between his sexy face and his about-to-tell-you-a-joke face, but let's just say that I wasn't exactly able to think clearly. "Are we Romeo and Juliet right now?" He finishes, winking at me. I roll my eyes, unable to hold back a laugh. Freddie laughs with me and I hit him playfully on the arm with my script.

"Very funny. Now let's get back to work."

Carly POV 7:15AM Day 10

"Okay, Shay. Why did you call an emergency meeting this morning?" Wendy asks tiredly, lounging back in her chair at the head of the table. I resist the urge to yell at her, keeping my voice down in the library. I had been trying to figure out her angle with Pete all of last night, and she was going to tell me now.

"I know about Pete." These four words create a surprising amount of action among the gossip girls. Mya and Emily exchange a loaded look before turning to look at Candice. Wendy leans forward in her chair and rests her elbows on the table. Heather looks down at the table guiltily and Lacy stares at me with a poker face. Paige leans forward and puts her chin in her hands, watching Candice carefully. Tasha gives a small gasp and turns to Candice, patting her shoulder reassuringly. I watch the scene in confusion, noticing how much attention is given to Candice. "Why are you all focusing on Candice? Isn't Wendy like the pack leader or whatever?" I ask before thinking, not missing Wendy's huff of annoyance. Candice raises her eyes from the table and takes a deep breath before focusing on me.

"Because Pete is MY boyfriend."

**DUN DUN DUNNNN! Did you see that one coming? My fav part of this chapter? Hmm...Sam's denial or Candice's boyfriend. What was your favorite part? Did you not have a favorite part cuz it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review. :(**

**Next chapter is probably going to be up this weekend, but I'm probably only going to be able to post once a week or once every two weeks because I'm going back to school Wendesday.**

**BIG thanks to all the reviewers: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Kpfan72491, cdthedude, Ashlee Seddie, mirage888, ChaosKeks, smiley face, mygirl1807, Autumn James, iLet it Rock, Mystapleza, Ivyheart, Anonymous, Phoenix-chick12, bella3590, Natalie, and icecoffee18. Reviews make my day and motivate me to write faster, so please review!**

**TO SMILEYFACE: Haha, lets hope I finish in time. That would be a great way to start the school year.**

**TO AUTUMN JAMES: Let's hope crazy good and not crazy bad! :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Ahh, the search for Seddie songs. I watch a lot of Seddie vids on youtube and that'****s where I get a lot of my Seddie songs.**

**TO ANONYMOUS: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter too! :D**

**TO NATALIE: Wow, one day? That must have taken you a while, so thanks! :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and (pretty please with a cherry on top) review!**


	29. You're Such A Wuss

**Here's Chapter 29, so enjoy!**

Sam POV 7:15AM Day 10

I pull the door of my house closed, wondering where my mom had disappeared to this time, and began the walk to school. Freddie and I had managed to memorize a few scenes from Act II yesterday, but it had taken us hours. He had told his mom that he was going to a last minute AV club meeting (I'd called him a dork and rolled my eyes) but Crazy had totally fell for it. We only stopped because the night janitor had come at eight and told us to scram so he could clean. A smile drifts across my face while I continue to think about how much fun it had been last night. It had been nice to hang out without having to worry about all of the other chiz that I was dealing with.

"Thinking about how much fun yesterday was?" Freddie asks, breaking me out of my thoughts. By force of habit, I rolled my eyes and looked up at him with a smirk on my face.

"I was thinking about ham, actually." I pause a second for emphasis. "Nub." Freddie smirks back at me.

"Good morning to you too." I roll my eyes again, deciding to ignore his sarcastic greeting.

"I bet I can guess what you did last night after that janitor kicked us out." I challenge, determined to remind him (yet again) that he was a complete nub. Freddie eyes me carefully; shifting his backpack the tiniest bit.

"What?" He asks warily, still watching me. I turn my eyes to the sidewalk ahead, my smug smirk growing more prominent.

"You stayed up late updating the iCarly site and now you want to do a Wake Up Spencer tonight." I turn to look up at him. "Right?" Freddie blinks in surprise.

"How did you know?" He asks, his eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. I laugh and smack the back of his head, trying to ignore the tingling heat in my hand from the brief touch.

"Cuz you're a dork. What else would you be doing?" I answer, laughing at Freddie's glare. "Okay, okay. Bloodshot eyes? Tsk, tsk Benson. You really shouldn't stare at the computer screen that long." Freddie opens his mouth to interrupt me, but I raise one finger and push it to his lips. We both stop in our tracks, staring at my finger. Freddie's intense gaze bores into me, forcing me to look up at him. His chocolate eyes are questioning and I flinch away, pulling my hand back. My cheeks flush but I try to hold onto a scrap of my pride. "I wasn't done. You've yawned like four times in the last five minutes and," I point at his hand that's reaching up to rub his neck. "you're sore from craning your neck over the screen." He freezes, slowly letting his hand slide off of his neck. I stop also, still looking at the sidewalk in front of us. Freddie stares at me in shock and I chew on my lip nervously.

"You noticed all of that?" He finally asks me incredulously. I shrug, swishing my hair between us so he can't see my cheeks burning.

"It's always been like that. I try to figure out what's bothering you so that when I mess with you it doesn't hurt _too_ much." I feel his eyes glued to my face and I think of a way to get some of my embarrassment out of the way. "Or, if I'm mad at you, I can do this." I quickly fix my eyes on Freddie's left arm. He had been carrying it carefully the whole time we had been walking. Before he can react, I punch his arm lightly, careful to be somewhat gentle. Nonetheless, Freddie yelps in pain and rubs his arm. "See Freddison? I'm not _completely_ heartless." I laugh to cover my embarrassment. "You're such a wuss."

"Am not!" He disagrees, rubbing his arm gingerly. I roll my eyes, starting down the sidewalk towards Ridgeway again. Freddie hurries to catch up, still cradling his arm. "I'll prove it to you!" I raise my eyebrows, shooting him a sidelong glance full of skepticism. "Tell you what. My gym has a boxing ring."

"And…?"

Freddie POV 7:30AM Day 10

I glare down at Sam, her sarcastic skepticism annoying me. Maybe it was because my testosterone was acting up and I couldn't stand to be called a wuss. Maybe it was because I was just being stupid. For whatever reason, my death sentence comes out confidently.

"I challenge you to a boxing match." I say, my eyes never leaving her face. Sam rolls her eyes and flips a blond curl out of her face. I momentarily lose the ability to think, caught in the fractured pieces of her blue eyes as the smell of strawberries overwhelms me.

"Really, Benson? You're giving me an excuse to kick your ass?" Sam asks, forcing me out of my trance. I automatically reach out and hold the door open for her, following once she enters the school.

"Whatever, Sam. Tomorrow, after rehearsal?" I suggest, leaning against Carly's locker while Sam trades her books.

"What's wrong with today?" Sam flashes me a smirk before turning her attention back to her locker. "Scared, Freducation?"

"No, I'm just busy after rehearsal today." I say, my eyes lingering on Sam while she searches for something in her locker. I knew that I was going to regret it, but I felt like I needed to prove something to Sam. What exactly, I wasn't sure. Sam slams her locker shut and her smirk grows wider.

"AV club meeting?" She guesses, turning to face me. I quickly avert my eyes, almost caught staring at her. I don't say anything, hating that she was right. I see Sam break into a wry smile out of the corner of my eyes. "That's what I thought." The bell rings and she brushes past me, heat making my cheeks flush at her touch. I stand frozen, the full realization of what I had done hitting me. I had challenged Sam to a boxing match to 'prove myself'. I was so screwed.

Carly POV 7:25AM Day 10

"So let me get this straight. Pete, who is your boyfriend," I point at Candice, who nods her head once in confirmation. "and who is also playing Paris in the play asked Sam out because…?" I allow some of my frustration and annoyance into my tone, showing Wendy that I meant business. Wendy sighs and rolls her eyes, clearly inferring that I've missed something obvious.

"Think about it Carly. What emotion gets people together?" She asks, leaning back in her chair and propping her feet on the table.

"Love?" I guess, curious where Wendy was going with all of this. Lacy scoffs and the other gossip girls shake their heads or roll their eyes.

"Love is what makes people _want_ to be together." Wendy slides her feet off of the table and leans forward before she continues. "Jealousy is what forces people to confront their feelings in the first place and then actually _do_ something about it. So, Candice here found out that Pete got the role as Paris and he agreed to help us. _We _control the game now." I sit in silence, absorbing this. Realizing that they're right, I bury my head in my hands.

"Doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose if it's making them miserable?" My head is still buried in my hands, so my voice comes out muffled.

"They may be miserable now, but imagine how happy they're going to be when Freddie mans up and tells Sam how he feels." Wendy says while Mya pats my back reassuringly. I look up, my hands sliding off of my face.

"Why does it have to Freddie that tells Sam? Why can't Sam tell Freddie?" I counter, wondering if there really is a method to their madness. Wendy sighs again and drums her fingers on the table lightly.

"Sam still thinks that Freddie is in love with you." I open my mouth to protest, but Wendy stops me by raising her index finger in the air. "I know that he never really _loved_ you, but he definitely had a huge crush on you for so many years that Sam isn't physically capable of seeing it any other way. Sam can't see how Freddie stares at her because she's seen him staring at you that way for so long that she's stopped noticing who he stares at. The idea that Freddie will always 'love' you is so fixated in her mind that she's never even considered that he could like her. It also can't help that guys are constantly choosing you over her." A huge guilt weighs down on me, growing even heavier when I realize that Wendy's right. All of the gossip girls stare at me, taking in my reaction. "Exactly." Wendy says quietly. Emily reaches across the table and pats my hand reassuringly. "Freddie has a slightly better chance of admitting that he likes Sam." Wendy sighs and rubs the bridge of her nose. "Unfortunately, Sam has also spent years degrading Freddie and telling him that no girl would ever go out with him, love him, etcetera and etcetera . That can't make Freddie feel good about his chances. Pete agreed to ask Sam out on the condition that we have to try our hardest to get them together before he actually goes on the date with her. We knew that Sam would say yes to Pete because we made it seem like Freddie had set the whole thing up. Obviously, if a guy sets you up with another guy than he doesn't like you. Sam is already trying to get over Freddie, even if she doesn't want to. Meanwhile, Freddie is being consumed by jealousy that's going to force him to tell Sam how he feels." Wendy leans back in her chair, looking at me tiredly. I take a minute to absorb everything that she's said, a mixture of emotions swirling through me.

"So, basically we're waiting for Freddie?" I ask, making sure I understand. Wendy laughs, pounding her gavel as the bell rings for us to go to class.

"Yep. Freddie's going to need to grow a pair anyway if he wants to be with Sam."

**Ha, no matter how much you may hate Wendy right now for the whole Pete thing, you gotta love that last line. My fav part? Hmm, probably Sam's slipup with her finger and Freddie's lips. What was your fav part? Did you not have a fav part cuz it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**New poll up on my profile, basically should I write a Wake Up Spencer scene sometime in this story or just imply that they did the Wake Up Spencer and not actually write it? Vote cuz it's your right as a Seddie fanfiction reader (which makes you unbelievably awesome!).**

**AHHH! I BROKE MY RECORD FOR REVIEWS! You all are SO amazing and these reviews really helped me find the motivation to edit this chapter: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mari13ssa, ChaosKeks, smiley face, mygirl1807, Kpfan72491, Gabsikle, Autumn James cdthedude, Julietta, g, MultiSeddielover, Ivyheart, coketree20, mirage 888, Romance and Musicals, PartyPooper845, icecoffee18, seddietawnicochannyzutara3, CookieLivcat, Flutter360, Mystapleza, iLet it Rock, ThatsWhatISaid129, Phoenix-chick12, bella3590 and CandyRox12! If you want a cool shout out like this, than just leave me a review saying that you liked it (or hated it), but hopefully liked it! :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: Wow, that iPsycho challenge is going to be good. I think someone already called dibs in the reviews. **

**TO AUTUMN JAMES: Sexy joking winking face! Haha, LOVED writing that scene so I'm glad you liked it! :D**

**TO JULIETTA: Yeah, I knew that I had to find someway to explain that Ms. Esposito had adapted the script so that Carly had a part. Thanks! :)**

**TO G: Lolz, yeah last chapter was one of my favorites so I'm glad you liked it so much! Hope you liked this chapter just as much as last chapter. :D**

**TO IVYHEART: Ivy and Spencer! What would that be called? Yencer? Vencer? Ipen? Icer? XD Yeah, Abby and Spencer would make a good couple. Maybe Spebby?**

**So, that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and you can vote if you want to on my profile. Now I know that review button is looking awfully tempting, so I'll just leave you to it. ;)**


	30. Nice Monkey Suit, Fredbag

**Are you ready for the Seddie? Read on...**

Freddie POV 3:25PM Day 10

"You sure, Mark? This isn't accurate for the time period." I stare at myself in the mirror, shaking my head. Mark's voice calls to me from across the room.

"Ms. Esposito said something about being relatable to the audience. Just go with it." Mark says quickly before turning back to Gibby. "Dude, you have to wear the shirt. You can't wear a tux without a shirt!" Mark argues, his voice rising.

"Says you! Who wouldn't want to see some of this?" Gibby slaps his exposed belly once and I roll my eyes, tuning them out. I readjust my cuffs, freezing with a thought strikes me. If they were making me wear this, than what would Sam be wearing?

Sam POV 3:25PM Day 10

"You've got to be kidding me." Kayla rolls her eyes at my protests and adjusts the dress again. "I can't wear this! They can't have had a dress like this back then if they didn't even have fried chicken yet!" I say, panicking at the thought of having to wear this in front of everyone. My fears seem to be settling around one person in particular…not that I'd ever admit it.

"Pu-leeze Sam. You look hot, girl. Screw the time period." Kayla says, exasperated by my behavior. Carly comes up behind me, her red dress sweeping across the floor. Carly's silky hair is perfectly straight, falling around her shoulders at the precise angle that Kayla had dictated.

"She's right Sam." Carly mutters something else under her breath and I barely catch the word 'Freddie'. I turn away from the mirror that we had all been looking into and stare at Carly suspiciously.

"What did you say about Freddie?" I demand, knowing that it can't have been good. Carly flushes pink at being caught, but Kayla just rolls her eyes again.

"Probably something about how he's going to pass out when he catches a slice of this." Kayla smacks my ass and smirks at me before walking away. I shift my eyes to Carly, raising my eyebrows. She shrugs once and smiles.

"Close enough."

Freddie POV 3:45PM Day 10

"Come, my chickens, let me see you all! Now remember these are the costumes for the Capulet party!" Ms. Esposito calls us to the stage and I pause nervously, unmoving in paralyzed apprehension. Gibby grumbles a complaint and pushes me forward, forcing me out onto the stage. The lights blind me and I barely resist the urge to retreat to backstage. My eyes, though still inhibited by the light, automatically gravitate towards the far corner of the stage. That's when I first see her. I wish I could tell you that I had been able to think coherently. I wish I could tell you that my jaw hadn't dropped and my heart hadn't picked up double time, painfully trying to escape my chest. I wish I could tell you that my palms hadn't suddenly grown sweaty and clammy. I wish I could tell you that I could have looked away if I wanted to. But I can't. I take in Sam's beautiful strapless dress, a deep royal blue that compliments the darker shades of blue in her eyes perfectly. She moves forward, her dress whispering as it trails across the floor and my breath catches convulsively. Maybe the best way to describe how I probably looked was like one of those guys in the cartoons whose eyeballs pop like five feet out before flying back to their skull and making some kind of whistling sound. Of course (I'm pretty sure it's a scientific fact and if it isn't then I'll have to find a way to prove it.) but Sam could be in a room of the most glamorous movie stars, in her standard shorts and a t shirt, and she would still be the most breathtaking (literally) of them all. Yet in this particular dress and the way the light floods around Sam as she walks closer to me, it all makes her appear slightly angelic. I shudder internally at the use of Sam and angelic in the same thought. She comes to a stop a few feet in front of me, her expression soft for a brief second. Then a slight smirk sneaks across her face as her eyes rake up and down my tux. My awe lessens, allowing a wry smile. This was the Sam I was used too. The Sam I loved.

"Nice monkey suit Fredbag." Sam says, managing an insult in her compliment. I shake my head in amusement, slightly stunned when she flashes me a thousand watt smile.

"Never thought I'd see the day. Samantha Puckett in a dress." I tease, laughing when Sam glares at me. My reaction to her death stare only seems to her infuriate her more. Her hand balls into a fist and she punches me on the shoulder. Hard.

"NEVER call me Samantha!" Sam yells and I wince at the sting of pain. Carly walks up to us, shaking her head in some mix of amusement and annoyance.

"Glad to see that you're making a collective effort to get along." Carly says sarcastically, her hand on her hip.

Sam POV 3:50PM Day 10

A sharp pang of hurt sweeps through me when Freddie's eyes shift from me to Carly. It was always Carly, and that was all it would ever be. I turn my eyes to the ground, not wanting to see Freddie ogling at Carly's form fitting red dress.

Carly POV 3:51PM Day 10

Freddie shifts his attention to me for a brief second, noting my presence before focusing back on Sam. My eyes flicker between the two, wishing that I understood. Sam is staring at the floor, trying to keep her emotionless mask but failing as the slightest trace of pain crosses her face. Freddie, who already seemed to be over the pain in his shoulder, stares at Sam with an awed expression; like she's the most important thing in the world to him. This strikes me as a little odd for a crush. Before I can think it through more, Ms. Esposito is interrupting my thoughts

"Ah! You all look so very dashing and beautiful, my chickens!" Ms. Esposito laughs and continues to walk around the stage throwing out compliments at each new actor or actress she meets. I ignore her, turning back to Sam and Freddie. Freddie, hearing Ms. Esposito, looks past me and at that exact second Sam looks up. Her eyes flicker from Freddie to me, following his line of sight. A flash of pain darkens her normally sapphire eyes and horror at her assumption floods through me. The next second pain is replaced by an annoyed look and another punch.

"What was that for?" Freddie demands, clutching his arm. My throat tightens when Sam rolls her eyes. I knew that she had been faking about many things before, but it was different to watch the entire process unfold.

"Could you please try not to drool over Carly?" Sam asks, her voice tired. Freddie opens his mouth to argue but Ms. Esposito chooses this pivotal moment to come talk to us.

"Oh, you are looking very handsome Romeo!" Ms. Esposito compliments, chuckling. She turns to Sam and her hand flutters to her chest dramatically. "Juliet you look positively stunning!" Her yell catches the attention of the entire stage, but she doesn't seem to notice because she's too busy talking to Freddie. "Right, Romeo? Juliet is very beautiful, yes?" Freddie's face turns a tomato red and Sam looks down in embarrassment, her cheeks also coloring.

"Um..yes. Very pretty." Freddie says awkwardly, noticing that everyone was waiting for his answer. Sam looks up in surprise, her cheeks flushing an even deeper shade of red.

"Romeo is also very handsome as well, yes?" Ms. Esposito asks Sam. I wait for Sam's insult, knowing that it wasn't going to be pretty.

"He cleans up pretty good." Sam says slowly, looking at the floor. I gape at her, shocked. I was Sam's best friend. I had talked endless hours of girl talk with her, and she rarely admitted when she thought a guy was hot. Even then, it was like pulling teeth to get her to say it out loud to ME let alone other people. Ms. Esposito nods once and smiles before walking away. Every eye on the room is still fixed on Sam and Freddie in shock, trying to comprehend what had just happened. I'm the first to recover.

"Gosh get a life!" People began to blink at my outburst, coming out of their shock. Yet their gaze still lingers on Sam and Freddie. "Disperse!" I order, gratified when people actually listen and turn away. Once the crowd clears away to the backstage area to change back into their street clothes, I turn back to my scarlet faced best friends. They stare at each other intently, some silent exchange going on. I shake my head and roll my eyes, jumping lightly off of the stage to the ground and settle in one of the seats until they finish.

Freddie POV 4:10PM Day 10

_You really think so? _I ask silently, raising my eyebrows. Sam rolls her eyes, a smirk playing across her face.

_You do ok._ Her eyes say, half amused and half embarrassed. I don't even realize I'm grinning like an idiot until Sam punches me on the shoulder. Not exactly playful, but lighter than the last one. _Just don't get TOO full of yourself there, tech boy._ Sam warns, putting one of her hands on her hips. I laugh and punch her lightly on the arm. This simple contact fills me with the most peaceful feeling of happiness, making me grin even wider.

_Like you'd let me. _I say, watching Sam carefully. My stomach in knots, I decide to take the leap that will either get my ass kicked or make Sam blush again. I prayed that it was the latter. _You should wear dresses more often. You look good in them. _I close my eyes, holding my breath and wait for the blow to fall. But it never comes. When I finally hesitantly crack open my eyes, Sam laughs. The wonderful sound forces me smile, allowing my fear to fade away.

"Let's go change Fredison." I look at her in confusion, causing her to smirk at me sarcastically. "We couldn't have you be late to your AV meeting, could we?" I roll my eyes but grab her by her elbow to pull her backstage, trying to ignore the fire coursing through my veins.

"Hey, wait up!" A voice calls loudly, making me jump. I turn in surprise, automatically pulling Sam towards me. Carly raises her eyebrows, eyeing my protective pose suspiciously. I look down, noticing that my hand had moved from Sam's elbow to her waist, pulling her back into my chest. Sam's kaleidoscope eyes are wide with surprise, staring up at me with mere inches separating our faces. My cheeks flush for about the tenth time in the last hour and I release her quickly, stepping away. Carly and Sam stare at me, one in suspicion and the other in shock as I continue to back away.

"AV club meeting. Uh, be over later tonight." I turn my back, almost tripping over a prop that somebody had left out to make me look like even more of an idiot. If that was even possible.

Sam POV 4:20PM Day 10

I follow Freddie's progress off the stage, still frozen in shock from the pulsing heat that had stolen through me when he had grabbed me around my waist. Freddie, clumsy tech nerd that he was, almost face plants over a prop that someone had thoughtlessly left on stage. I'm torn in half, part of me wanting to laugh at him and the other part still wondering what had just happened. When Freddie disappears backstage, Carly spins me around to face her by my shoulders.

"What was _that_?" She asks, almost as shocked as I am. I focus on her face, my mind still very far away.

"I have absolutely no idea." I whisper, still trying to figure it out for myself.

**Okay eight billion brownie points (which mean absolutely nothing) to the first person who can tell we what Sam's last line was from. I'll give you a few hints: 1) It's from the movie of my favorite book of all time. 2) The main character's name (Sam) has the initials E.B. ****until she gets married to F.D., ****cuz**** then she's E.D. So go ahead and guess in your review! :)**

**My fav part? Hmm...every single line in this chapter was fun to write but probably Sam's last line. Did you like it? Did you hate it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to all the reviewers from last chapter****! It was amazing how many people liked it: ****ChaosKeks****, Romance and Musicals, Kpfan72491, ****MiiMii****, Coketree20, ****Ironish**** Rose, ****cdthedude****, Unknown****Dreamer, xx-SamxFreddie-xx,****Mystapleza****, Autumn, CandyRox12, smiley face, Mar13****ssa****, ****Ivyheart****, mirage888, icecoffee18, ****MultiSeddielover****, ****irock****, bella3590, ****iLet**** it Rock, Phoenix-chick12, g, and ****Seddielovergrl****! If you want a cool shout out like this then you just gotta click that review button! :D**

**TO ****MIIMII****: Glad the gossip girls cleared things up for you (I was being kinda vague on purpose)! No contact with Sam's finger and Freddie's lips this chapter but hopefully you still liked it! :D**

**TO UNKNOWNDREAMER: Wow, thanks! Glad you had so many favorite parts lolz! :)**

**TO AUTUMN: Yeah, I can't remember where I got the idea for Sam's finger slip thing last chapter but I have seen it a few times on TV, I think. Anyway, glad you liked it! :)**

**TO ****SMILEYFACE****: I actually just finished writing the boxing scene last night (it's quite a few chapters away and I still have to edit it) and there was some serious ****Seddie****. Okay, I'm going to shut up now before I reveal to much. ;)**

**TO IVYHEART: I do read the Hunger Games (I love them) but I don't think I ever really settled on a couple to ship. I like Peeta and Gale about the same but I guess maybe **_**maybe **_**Gale squeaks it out for me. So, yeah I have no idea what the couple name for ****Katniss**** and Gale is, but I like them. ****XD**

**TO ****IROCK****: I know you're not trying to be rude. :) Personally, when I read or write a story, I like to have some drama as long as it's plausible. It makes the story extremely addicting to write and (hopefully) read. If I had to pick another genre for this story, I would put it under drama because I (also just my opinion) think that Sam and Freddie aren't going to get together easily. They're both to stubborn to admit anything and I think they're also afraid of losing each others friendship to take the first step towards being something more. When you add the pressure from acting out a play like Romeo and Juliet with the person that you're secretly in love with, things can get...explosive. But I respect your opinion and appreciate that you to****ok**** the time to review and let me know your thoughts. :)**

**TO G: Wow, last chapter was your favorite? That's awesome! Hope this chapter was good to! :D**

**So, that's about it! Thanks for reading and pretty please with a cherry on top, review! :D**


	31. The Calm

**Did you guys see the preview for iSam's Mom? It looks so awesome, I can't wait! :D Read on...**

Carly POV 5:00PM Day 10

"Please, please, please Sam!" I beg the girl currently slumped on my couch. She moves to swat some hair out of her face, her eyes focused on the TV behind me.

"For the last time, no!" She yells, refusing to look at me. I get on my knees and crawl over to her, stopping when I reach her feet.

"Please, oh please I would love you forever! Besides, some girl talk would do you good right now!" I press my palms together, still hoping that she'll give in. Sam's eyes remain glued to the TV, but she nudges me with her bare foot.

"He's not even a real boy, Carls. Just drop it." She murmurs, the flickering light of the TV playing against her face. It was dark outside, the sun obscured by the black clouds that had been releasing rain off and on all day.

"What? It's not like he's Pinocchio." I say incredulously. Sam's bored expression falters for a brief second, her gaze slipping from the TV to me. "Just because he's our best friend doesn't mean that he's not a real boy!" I argue as I get to my feet, still watching Sam's blank expression carefully. "You've even kissed him before! How can you kiss someone who you don't consider a real boy?" Sam's poker face slips again, revealing the last emotion I expect: pain. The next second it's gone but Sam knows that it's already too late and I've seen it.

"Carls." She says slowly, staring at me with slightly subdued intensity. "I kissed Freddie because we both wanted to get it over with. No ulterior motive whatsoever." I open my mouth to protest but Sam silences me with a glare. "Just because I kissed him doesn't change the fact that he's a dorky, indecisive, blind, heartless bastard!" Sam's voice starts normally, but somehow ends up as a yell. Taking in my shock, she quickly backtracks, her expression bored again. "So, no, he's not a boy in that sense. At least not to me." I continue to stare at her, frustrated when she ignores me and focuses on the TV again.

"Can't we over analyze his every move just this once?" I ask, already knowing the answer. Sam's eyes flash, but she doesn't look up at me.

"I'm not going to waste my time over analyzing Freddie's every move so don't ask me again." She says lowly, somehow packing an unspoken threat into her last words. I sigh, collapsing on the couch next to her. Despite how much I loved her just the way she was, sometimes I wish that Sam would be a little more open with me. It would certainly make everything a whole lot easier. I glance at Sam, taking in her unnatural mellowness, and shiver.

_Like the calm before the storm…_

Freddie POV 7:00PM Day 10

I hesitate outside Carly's door, taking a deep breath for courage. I would just pretend that I hadn't subconsciously felt the need to protect Sam again. My cheeks redden at the thought and my breathing picks up. Thinking about it definitely wasn't helping anything. Seized by sudden boldness, I pull open Carly's door and attempt to fake a smile.

"Hola mis amigas." I say brightly, closing the door behind me. Carly and Sam sit on the couch and watch TV silently, all of the lights in the apartment turned off to match the dark clouds outside. Carly looks up at me with a smile and waves.

"Hey Freddie." She greets me. I nod at Carly, my focus already shifting to Sam. Her eyes remain glued to the TV, not acknowledging my presence. My sudden boldness escapes me, replaced by burning embarrassment.

"Sam." I choke out, nodding at her. Before Sam can look at me, I collapse on the couch next to Carly and look at the TV. "Girly Cow, huh?" I ask, trying to cover up my embarrassment.

"Yep." Sam answers, popping the P. There's a long, terribly awkward silence punctuated only by the sound of Girly Cow's latest antics. Sam and Carly breathe steadily, tormenting me with their complete calm. I don't really watch the show, instead staring blankly at the wall above the TV and trying not to drown in the awkwardness. When I finally can't take it anymore, I jump to my feet and head across the hall to my apartment. Mom looks up in surprise when I barge in, taking in my appearance.

"Freddiebear! I thought you were over there with your friends." She scoffs under her breath and rolls her eyes. "Those evil girls that enjoy making you risk your life." Anger surges through me and I glare at her.

"It wasn't their fault! That taco truck didn't see Carly crossing the street and Sam-." I falter, remembering that it had been Sam's fault. Mom rises off the couch, the protective plastic crackling in protest, and wags her finger at me.

"Exactly! That delinquent didn't even thank you did she?" She argues, moving closer to me. My anger grows almost deadly and I struggle to control myself.

"Don't call her that." I hiss under my breath, gratified when my mom takes a step back. She recognizes that she's given me ground and she tries to save face.

"I knew it! You risked your life for her and she didn't even thank you!" She takes a step forward, a malicious glint in her eyes. "She hates you for saving her life! What do you say to that?" I feel my breath _whoosh_ out of me, leaving me painfully vulnerable without my anger.

"What?" I ask dimly, still trying to process. Mom takes another step forward, studying my face. Her anger burns out as quickly as mine, her expression softening.

"Think about it. You know Samantha-."

"Sam." I correct automatically.

"Sam," Mom amends. "much better than I do. What is the one thing that she needs to have, no matter what?" She asks me, watching my mind race. The answer comes to me almost immediately and I don't really know why she is making such a big deal out of this.

"Uh, meat?" I guess, my eyebrows scrunching together in confusion. Mom rolls her eyes and looks at me condescendingly.

"You really must be more perceptive, Fredward. The one thing that Sam needs is to be the strong one. She doesn't need anyone to take care of her and she's extremely proud of that." She moves closer, patting my arm. "You made her feel weak when you saved her life." I stare at her in shock, her words hitting me full force.

"But she….I didn't mean…I just…" I begin multiple times, trailing off when I can't think of anything else to say. "She can't be mad at me for that!" I disagree, knowing that I'm just denying it.

"Why can't I?" Sam's voice comes from our open doorway, speaking softly. She glares at my mom, purposely looking away from me, before slamming the door behind her.

Sam POV 7:30PM Day 10

I slam the door, hoping that Freddie thought that my hands were shaking out of anger, not fear. I know what you're thinking. The fearless Sam Puckett, afraid? Yet even the thought of Freddie finding out why I was mad at him made me shudder. Except now it wasn't just a thought.

"Sam, wait! C'mon, can't we just talk about it?" Freddie calls, running to catch up with me. I shake my head, speed walking towards the elevator. "I'll trade you!" He pleads desperately, slowing down when he finally catches up. I hit the button for the elevator and look at him suspiciously.

"Trade?" I ask, stalling until the elevator got here. Then I would be able to make my escape. Freddie nods his head vigorously, stepping between me and the elevator.

"You talk about why you're mad at me and I'll tell you why I'm mad at you. Then we'll work it out. It's a win-win." I avoid his eyes, looking over his shoulder to track the elevators progress. The small screen over the elevator flashed floors: 3, 4, 5. It stopped at 5 before going down again.

"Chiz!" I curse at the elevator, punching the button again and glowering at the screen.

"What?" Freddie stares at me in confusion, completely clueless of my bid for escape. For the first time, he notices me pounding on the elevator button. Freddie glares down at me and grabs my wrist, pulling me away from the elevator and any chance I have left at a dignified escape. His grip on my wrist does the strangest things to me: it somehow manages to speed up my heart and breathing to dizzyingly high levels while also slowing my ability to think to an almost standstill. Feverish heat, something that I was just starting to anticipate whenever I came in contact with Freddie, burns through me almost contagiously until I feel like my whole body is on fire. When I finally come to my senses (luckily he's only pulled me a few feet) I dig my feet into the floor and try to jerk my wrist away from him. Freddie tightens his grip on my wrist and turns to face me, his glare replaced with a small frown.

"Please, Sam." He begs me, unleashing his chocolate eyes. I swallow heavily but can't force myself to look away. Chiz, it was working! Freddie, pushing the advantage that he had temporarily gained over me, slips his hand from my wrist to intertwine our fingers. His other hand moves over our intertwined hands and he pulls my hand up to rest on his chest. To my surprise, his heart beats fast, caught up in the adrenaline of the moment and how close he was coming to death. His eyes continue to do their pleading thing that's making me lose my mind and, somehow, I have the superhuman strength to string together a sentence.

"What's in it for me?" I breathe into him, not realizing how close we were. Freddie pulls away slightly, searching my eyes.

"Two whole hams." He offers, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Four!" I cry in outrage, happy to be distracted from the effect he was having on me. Freddie shakes his head, smirking.

"No chance, Puckett. I'll go three." He counters, tightening his grip on my hand.

"Three whole hams and a pack of Bolivian bacon." I say, edging even closer to him. Freddie considers for a few seconds before smiling.

"Deal. I know just where we can go to talk."

**My fav part of this chapter? Probably Sam trying to get Carly off her back with the whole bit where she doesn't consider Freddie a guy...good luck trying to sell that one, Sam! What was your fav part? Did you not have a favorite part because it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Remember Sam's line from last chapter? It was from the 2005 movie version of Pride and Prejudice! Really amazing love story (My favorite!) and I've been heavily influenced by Jane Austen (She writes P&P) in my writing. The first person to guess and win eight billion brownie points? Talulah Carmichael! Great job to Loving This Story, smiley face, MultiSeddielover, Mystapleza, and mirage888 who also knew where Sam's line was from!**

**I can't even seem to think of a word big enough to describe how much I love my reviewers right now! You guys (and girls) are so wonderful: bella3590, Talulah Carmichael, Kpfan72491, ChaosKeks, UnknownDreamer, Rainbow1999, Loving This Story, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mari13ssa, MasterofTimeandSpace1606, .Luv, g, smiley face, Castle-Of-Bones, MultiSeddielover, Mystapleza, CandyRox12, mygirl1807, Ivyheart, icecoffee18, alma, Phoenix-chick12, seddieluver4eva, iShipSeddie, LadyRose12, mirage888, SuperSumer, Romance and Musicals, and Aria P! I really don't think that this story would be half as good without the motivation I get every time I see a review! :D**

**TO UNKNOWN DREAMER: I love writing Sam and Freddie's silent conversations, so I'm glad you like them! :)**

**TO LOVING THIS STORY: Pride and Prejudice is my favorite book ever! I'm glad you like reading my story! :)**

**TO** **MASTER OF TIME AND SPACE 1606: Wow, me in charge of iCarly? I don't know about that cuz Dan does such an amazing job already, I wouldn't be able to live up to it! Thanks so much for the compliment and I'm happy you enjoy reading my writing! :D**

**TO G: I hope Carly's attempts at swaying Sam to talk to her made you laugh again! :D**

**TO SMILEY FACE: Interesting prompt...very original! :)**

**TO IVYHEART: What other couple has the purple color?**

**TO ALMA: I write for Sam and Freddie when they're a little more mature and more secure in their friendship and I always picture them about this age when they finally wake up and get together. In my opinion, they're never going to be the couple that's mushy and they aren't going to EVER stop fighting. Just a few thoughts on Seddie. :D **

**TO LADYROSE12: Wow, I loved reading your review/ramble (I love rambles!) and it made me smile, so thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and remember to review please! :D**


	32. The Storm

**Hope you like this chapter, even if it isn't what you expect! :) Read on...**

Sam POV (continued)

Freddie slides his hand off of our intertwined fingers, blinking when he realizes how close our faces are. Again. We both back away, but, to my (ridiculously) intense relief, he keeps our hands together. Slowly coming back to reality, I realize that he's pulling me down the hallway towards the one place that I can't stand to be right now. I pull up suddenly and he looks back at me in surprise.

"We can't go out there." I say faintly, the feeling of well-being leaving me when Freddie releases his grip on my hand.

"Why can't we go on the fire escape?" He asks stupidly. I roll my eyes and fold my arms across my chest, wondering how he could be so obtuse.

"Well, that's where we…you know." My heart gives a particularly intense beat, flooding me with pain. My poker face is flawless, but I wish that it would extend to protect me from my emotions as well. Freddie looks down also, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, yeah, but it's quiet and nobody else ever goes out there. We would be alone." He counters weakly, his crippling embarrassment overcoming him. Exactly what I had thought earlier. He had forgotten all about it. My eyes sting and I look down, startled by the unfamiliar sensation before pushing it away. Showing pain was weakness. Let's just say that weakness and I didn't get along.

"Fine." I say shortly, scooting past without touching him. He follows me silently, no doubt wondering what my problem was. I pause outside the window of the fire escape, listening to the sound of loud pounding for a few seconds before opening the window. Lightning flashes, illuminating the fire escape that I loved and hated in equal measures. Rain lashes through the open window and splashes us, the cold shock of the water taking me by surprise. Trying to display nonchalance, I shrug before tossing one of my legs over the sill and prepare to swing my other leg over when a burning hand on my arm stops me.

"You can't go out there!" Freddie protests, panicking. I roll my eyes and look up at him in annoyance.

"Why's that?" I ask dryly, trying to ignore the heat from his touch. Freddie looks at me unbelievingly, tightening his grip on my wrist.

"I didn't know that it was pouring rain and I am NOT going through that again." His chocolate eyes plead with me while he shifts closer. "Besides, you promised. Never ever again." I hated this, hated how he stupidly yet persistently was trying to protect me. It wasn't right and it certainly wasn't logical for someone to protect the bully turned frenemy that had been inflicting pain on them since day one. Plus it was practically a personal insult to doubt my ability to take care of myself. I shake his grip off of my wrist, glowering at him as I defiantly step out onto the fire escape. Rain pours down from above, the wind also pushing rain at me from the sides.

"I didn't promise you anything so don't tell me what to do!" I yell over the pounding of the rain. Freddie steps closer to the window sill, the picture of concern.

"Don't be stupid, Sam! Get over here!" Freddie yells back, motioning at the window sill. There it was again. Freddie needs to get over this little protective phase of his. I grip the rail furthest from the window, feeling like I had gone swimming in my clothes. Luckily, this rain isn't as cold as the almost hail of that afternoon.

"No! You wanted to have it out, so go ahead and let me hear it!" I yell, my anger growing when Freddie shakes his head and motions towards the window again. Just back off, Benson! "Fine, I'll start cuz I want my meat! I'm pissed at you! There, I said it!" Freddie becomes motionless, his mouth hanging open in shock. The rain pounds even harder and I begin to grow numb with the cold. "I don't know what the hell your problem is, but you seem to think that just because we grew up that things have changed between us!" I throw my arms up in the air, pacing around the small space. "So what if every girl at school is making eyes at you? That doesn't change anything!" I huff angrily, speechless with the ready rage that was suddenly consuming me. "We're supposed to hate each other, no matter what, for as long as we live! This stupid play is just making it impossible! I wish that all of this never happened!" I yell vehemently, meaning it with every fiber of my being. I had been so much better off with a crush instead of love. "Then you had to go and complicate everything when you went after me!" I pause, turning towards Freddie. "Why did you go after me?" I demand fiercely, watching as he blinks, taking in everything. Suddenly he's furious, vaulting over the window sill and quickly closing the distance between us.

"You would have died, Sam! I've had just about enough with this 'hate' that you can't seem to get over! Like it or not, you're one of my best friends and I wasn't going to let that happen to you!" He yells furiously, backing me into the rail. I push against his chest, shoving him away, my hands burning with heat while the rest of my body slowly freezes. Freddie glares at me, not backing down like he usually would. Things were going to get ugly.

"Here's a newsflash for you dipwad!" I jab a finger at him, caught up in my blind rage. "I'm not some ditzy damsel in distress that's going to suddenly be eternally grateful when you decide to play hero! Besides, I probably would have been fine!" I retort stubbornly, stepping forward and glowering at him dangerously. Freddie's glare deepens into that same murderous fury from that afternoon, the extent of his rage finally matching my own. He takes slow, measured steps forward; the weight of his deadly stare forcing me against the rail again. Some instinct was telling me, despite my overwhelming anger, that I should be careful. It was obvious that Freddie's control was slipping but I immediately push away any ideas of backing down. Freddie needed to back off and if I gave in I wasn't going to prove anything.

"See, right there! _Probably_. I wasn't going to let you risk your life on a _probably_! You are the most selfish, heartless person that I've ever met!" He yells, his face turning red. Oh, I was heartless? Look who's talking. My breathing grows ragged as I struggle to pull air through the hurt radiating from my fractured heart that I had hoped was beginning to heal. Unable to speak, I ball my hand into a fist and bury it in Freddie's stomach. Usually a hit like that would leave my victim on the floor gasping, but he's so up on adrenaline that it hardly makes a difference. I push past him, shivering and chattering with cold. He stiffens, noticing my condition for the first time. I swing one of my legs over the window sill, trying to get away from everything. Unfortunately, Freddie has other ideas. I feel his hand rest on my shoulder briefly before trailing down my bare arm slowly. The heat from his touch immediately warms me, making me shiver for an entirely different reason than cold. My heart throbs painfully and I jerk my arm away reflexively.

"Don't touch me." I hiss at him, refusing to meet his eyes. I swing my other leg over and numbly make my way to Carly's, only half-conscious of what was happening. I swing open the door, the tingling of cold in my bare feet distracting me. When I do look up, I catch Carly's shocked expression from the couch and shiver again. My shiver seems to throw Carly into motion, running up the stairs to retrieve blankets and a change of clothes. I stand in the doorway, wrapping my arms tightly around myself to trap body heat. A minute later, Carly's back with her arms full of warm looking cloth. My teeth chatter violently and I close my eyes for a few seconds. I focus back in on Carly, noticing that she was looking at something behind me. Cinnamon and vanilla, of course.

"I'll take care of her." Carly says softly, reassuring. The door across the hall whistles open and slams quickly while I carefully keep my back turned to him. Carly focuses back on me, stepping forward to hand me a towel. Avoiding the puddle that had formed from my hair and clothes, she grips my arm gently and pulls me towards the elevator. When the doors close behind us, Carly turns to face me with a soft expression of concern.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asks gently, rubbing my arms to warm me up.

"N-nothing to t-talk about-t." I chatter, pulling the towel around me tighter.

Freddie POV 7:50PM Day 10

I close the door behind me and brace myself for Mom's lecture that's sure to follow. Instead, it's deathly quiet as she crosses her arms and narrows her eyes at me. I slide my hand off of the doorknob and listen to the drip of water from my clothes to the floor. Finally, she speaks.

"Did she lock you outside in the rain or something?" My mom spits in anger, her eyes flashing. I glare at her, crossing my arms across my chest.

"No." I try to keep my voice calm, not wanting to fight with my mom now. She looks at me in surprise, taking in my appearance again.

"Then what happened?" She asks, all hint of malice gone. Pain and regret shoot through me at the mere memory, forcing me to action. I walk past Mom, focusing on the task at hand. I'm about to open my bedroom door when I pause, turning to look back at her.

"Do you know where I can order some Bolivian bacon?"

**So...what did you think? This was one of the most challenging chapters I've ever written because it's hard to keep up with exactly what the characters are feeling (Sam and Freddie especially) but I'm reasonably pleased with how it came out. My fav part? Probably Freddie's bolivian bacon line! What was your favorite part? Did you not have a favorite part cuz it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO THANK YOU GUYS LAST CHAPTER! I reached 500 reviews! I'm so happy that other people enjoy my writing enough to review and it really means a lot, so thanks!**

**Speaking of reviews...Thanks to: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, ChaosKeks, LadyRose12, Aria P, iShip Seddie, Mari13ssa, Kpfan72491, Ivyheart, Mystapleza, coketree20, G, mirage888, deviocity, icecoffee18, justjb, seddie delena love, Romance and Musicals, and Clara Powell!**

**TO IVYHEART: No, I haven't got a chance to go get Mockingjay yet...but I want to read it! :)**

**TO G: It was the fire escape! The gossip mafia is going to be back in a few chapters! :D**

**TO SEDDIE DELENA LOVE: You got it! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please review cuz they make me smile! :D**


	33. Dangerous

**Are you ready for the Seddie? Read on...**

Sam POV 2:00AM Day 11

I don't remember dreaming anymore. I know that everyone dreams while they sleep, but apparently mine just aren't memorable enough. It had bugged me for some reason, so I had tried to remember my last dream when it had finally hit me. My last dream had been on the night before I realized that I was in love with Freddie. It was like something had broken in me the day that the impossible happened: Sam Puckett was in love with Freddie Benson. So when I fell asleep on Carly's couch and woke up seemingly immediately to the smell of bacon, I wasn't surprised. However, I _was _surprised that it was the middle of the night and not morning, when Carly always cooked bacon. Rubbing my eyes and yawning loudly, I stretch before rising to my feet reluctantly. My brain was still fuzzy from sleep, making me slow to recognize the figure in the kitchen. I walk over to them slowly, still yawning, to see who it was. It's not until the person turns around and smiles weakly that I truly wake up.

"What are you doing here Benson?" I ask sharply, folding my arms across my chest. Freddie turns back to his pan, flipping over a few pieces before answering me.

"Well, it's not Bolivian, but I figured that you wouldn't say no to bacon." He turns back to me, gauging my reaction. I'm silent, waiting for him to make the next move. Freddie nods in understanding, clearing his throat. "I ordered some Bolivian bacon for you and it should be here in a few weeks. We can go to the store Saturday to get your hams." He picks up a piece of bacon from the plate and offers it to me. I slowly reach out, studying at him carefully the whole time, and take the bacon. So, that's how he wanted to play it? But I guess it wasn't the first time that we had agreed to never speak of something again. Freddie smiles and turns back to the pan, pulling out the last pieces of bacon and placing them on a plate. He lifts the plate and walks past me, setting it down on the island. I take a bite of the bacon in my hand, chewing slowly while I follow him. Freddie takes the stool facing the door, so I sit in the stool opposite him. I focus on my bacon now, wolfing it down in seconds. I'm glad that he doesn't try to apologize because then I would have to choose between doing the unSamish thing and apologizing in return or not apologizing and feeling guilty. Yep, just ignoring it was the way to go.

"Good bacon, nub." I say when I notice Freddie staring at me. He nods, a faint smile on his face.

"I left my camera over there." He gestures towards the coffee table before continuing. "Want to do a Wake Up Spencer?" I look up from my fourth piece of bacon, resisting the urge to yawn.

"Dude, you've been over here almost every night. Mama needs her sleep." I turn my attention back to my bacon while Freddie digests this.

"What about tomorrow night?" He suggests, leaning forward and wafting his breath in my face. I blink, overwhelmed by the intoxicating smell that always seems to render me completely brain dead. "Sam?" Freddie asks in concern, reaching out to cover my hand with his. The heat from his touch jolts me, allowing me to recover control of my brain…well, mostly. I pull my hand away, my body screaming in protest, but my mind forcing me to remember the consequences of torturing myself over him. Freddie stares at me, hurt and concern mingling in his expression.

"I was just thinking about why we can't do it tomorrow night." I cover, grabbing another piece of bacon. Freddie raises one of his eyebrows and studies me carefully before asking the obvious follow up question.

"And why is that?" I meet his questioning look with a smirk before answering.

"You really think you're going to be able to walk after I get done with you in that boxing ring?" I say, only stating the facts. He cringes and I laugh. "You scared, Fredwina?"

"No!" He denies a little too quickly. My smirk only grows when he glares at me. "So is what you said true?" He asks, changing the subject to catch me off guard. It works, forcing the smirk off of my face. "About the other girls at school. Do they really make eyes at me?" So much for ignoring it. I look away, reaching for a piece of bacon to hide my hurt. Out of everything that I had said, he had remembered that the most.

"Every single one. It's actually kind of funny to watch." Lie. It was not at all funny to watch. "You know, I hate that!" I say before I can stop myself. Freddie raises his eyebrows, a silent challenge in his question.

"Hate what?" I make the impulsive decision to speak my mind instead of adding this to the long list of things that I buried internally.

"The girls! They're all so shallow it's sickening." I make a noise of disgust and take a bite of my bacon before continuing. "You know that they only want you because of your looks, right?" Freddie glances down, tracing a pattern on the counter for a minute before answering. It was ironic really. I had never, not in a million years, dreamed that girls would pine over Freddie for his looks back when we were kids. Puberty had been generous.

"I know." He says softly, shifting his gaze back to me. "Are they jealous of you?" I gape at him, spitting out a piece of my bacon.

"Why would they be jealous of ME?" I recover myself slightly, forcing the hurt out of my voice. "I mean, it's not like anything is going on between us. Just the play." I inhale another piece of bacon, careful to avoid looking at Freddie. The long silence is finally punctuated by Freddie's loud yawn as he rises to his feet.

"Well, I better go sleep. My mom is already pretty mad at me as it is, so I hate to think what would happen if she knew I was here." His voice is oddly strained, like he's keeping some emotion out of his voice. I look up in surprise, caught in his intense expression as soon as my gaze drifts to his face. "I shouldn't have called you selfish or heartless." He says softly, almost to himself. I wish I could find the will to look away but his eyes are forcing an answer out of me.

"I'm not heartless. Believe me, sometimes I wish I was." I laugh shakily before continuing. "Selfish? I don't know. I do always seem to want what I can't have." Freddie's intense gaze falters for a brief second, allowing me to look away and breathe normally. I grab the last piece of bacon, trying to hide that my hand was shaking as I wolfed it down. When I look up again, I act surprised to see Freddie still standing there. "What are you doing here still? Grab your camera and get out of here, Fudgeface." I slide off of my stool and skirt around him, barely resisting the urge to brush against him. Freddie turns to follow my progress to the couch, his eyes burning into my back. I silently panic, trying to keep my motions normal as I waited for him to call me out or laugh. Instead he moves towards the door slowly, still watching me try to get comfortable under the plaid blanket. He pauses as I struggle to readjust the blanket to my liking, watching me. After a few seconds of this, he steps towards me and gently brushes my hands away. My heart makes a mad escape attempt from my chest and my breath catches in my throat.

"What are you doing?" I ask, relieved when my voice is even. Freddie focuses his eyes on me, making me lose my train of thought.

"I'm helping you." He whispers, gripping both of my wrists in one hand and lifting them over my head. I feel oddly exposed even though I'm wearing sweats and an old iCarly shirt, but his stare is just so insistently penetrating and obviously determined that it scares me. I shiver mentally, knowing that he is fighting to get past the mental walls that kept me safe and sane. Freddie's other hand slowly spreads the bottom of the blanket to cover my bare feet, his eyes never leaving mine. He adjusts the blanket again, flattening it against my stomach slowly, his hand lingering in a way that makes my breath catch. "There." He whispers, carefully lowering my hands to rest on my stomach. We continue to absorb the other for what could be anything from a second or forever. I wouldn't have known the difference. His eyes reveal more than his words or even his actions, expressing regret for the things he had said to me. I raise a questioning eyebrow and Freddie half smiles. Exactly what I thought. He wanted me to forget about our fight, requiring no apology or even hint of regret from me.

It was almost scary how well he knows me.

Freddie chuckles as I think this, picking up some hint of my thoughts in my expression. Just when I'd recovered my breath and slowed my heart to almost normal, he chooses this moment to reach out and brush some hair out of my face. He never looks away from me, taking in my reaction as his hand accidently brushes my cheek.

I'm pretty sure my heart stops.

Freddie pulls his hand away, the dangerous sense of safety and well-being leaving with him. That was what this was really. Dangerous. He picks up his camera and walks to the door, pausing after he pulls it open.

"Night, Princess Puckett." He teases, a faint smile on his face. Still recovering from the startling and unfamiliar sense of security and reassurance, I nod and choke out his name instead of an insult.

"Night, Freddie."

_Dangerous._

**So, what did you think? My fav part was probably Sam's line 'Selfish? I don't know. I do always seem to want what I can't have.' What was your fav part? Did you not have a fav part because it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Wow, I am sure that I have the best reviewers on all of fanfiction. You broke my record...AGAIN! So, HUGE thanks to: Ivyheart, Gabsikle, ChaosKeks, CandyRox12, deviocity, coketree20, seddie delena love, Aria P, Rainbow1999, Mari13ssa, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, mirage888, MultiSeddielover, bella3590, Castle-of-Bones, Kpfan72491, iShipSeddie, justjb, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, mybeautifulstory, Romance and Musicals, Ashlee Seddie, LadyRose12, G, alma, Clara Powell, mygirl1807, smiley face, icecoffee18, and XcrozzybabezX! Wanna cool shout out like these awesome people? Just gotta review! :)**

**TO IVYHEART: I read Artemis Fowl awhile ago and I remember that I liked it...so enjoy!**

**TO SEDDIE DELENA LOVE: Thanks, hoped you liked this chapter too! :)**

**TO LADYROSE12: I love to write, so I'll keep the chapters coming! **

**TO G: Hopefully I lived up to the whole 'Seddie apology scene' while avoiding MOST of the clichés. Not that this was really an apology. More like a mutual agreement of ignorance. **

**TO ALMA: Well, this chapter was FULL of Seddie. What did you think?**

**TO SMILEY FACE: Great prompt! Really creative. :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and remember to review! :D**


	34. Victory and Vulnerability

**READ THIS: I started to write this story before iSam's Mom came out so MY version of Sam's mom is WAY different than the one played by the amazing Jane Lynch. Please keep this in mind when you're reading about Sam's mom in this story. Extra long chapter, so enjoy! :D**

Carly POV 6:30AM Day 11

The doors of the elevator open and I step out into my kitchen, the smell of bacon immediately catching my attention. I frown in confusion, moving towards the island when I see a dirty plate still wet with bacon grease. I look up from the dirty plate to my blond best friend fast asleep on the couch. Sam's face is blank, peaceful without the rush of emotions that she always seemed to be experiencing. I smile lightly before turning back to the plate, shaking my head in amusement. Sam very rarely cooked her own food; instead either demanding that someone do it for her or eating some prepackaged junk food. I take the plate to the sink to clean it, knowing that it could mean one thing and one thing only: Freddie. Well, I hadn't heard any screams last night or found Freddie's dead body yet, so things must have gone pretty well. After drying my hands, I turn to the refrigerator to get out some bacon. I shuffle around in the fridge, looking around for our last pack of…. I roll my eyes, already heading over to the Benson's apartment. Knocking softly on the door, I pray that Freddie will answer instead of his mom. Today, I'm in luck.

"Carly?" He asks in surprise, obviously wondering why I'm standing on his doorstep this early in the morning.

"Thanks a lot for cooking our last pack of bacon! YOU get to find a way to wake up Sam now!" I whisper/yell, already turning back to my apartment. Freddie follows me slowly and I lead him to the couch, pointing at Sam's sleeping figure. He drifts towards her, his expression of confusion fading to something softer. Almost like he's done it before, he gently takes both of Sam's wrists in one hand before moving closer. Then he kneels on Sam's legs gingerly, careful to keep his weight off of her. Having effectively blocked any punches or kicks, his free hand travels to Sam's face and trails down her cheek slowly. As soon as his hand makes contact with her face, Sam's eyes snap open and she tries to lunge forward at Freddie. She cries out in protest when she notices that she's being restrained; only fighting harder when Freddie applies more pressure.

"It's just me Sam! Just Freddie!" He says loudly, trying to be reassuring. Sam freezes, her quick breaths evening out slowly. When she regains reasonable control of herself, she looks at Freddie furiously and he gets off of her quickly.

"What the hell Benson? You scared me half to death! I warned you about waking me up by lying on top of me!" Sam yells, jumping to her feet and punching Freddie's arm. Wait…Freddie had woken Sam up by doing this before?

"I'm sorry! I cooked the last of the bacon last night and I had to wake you up somehow!" Freddie begs, physically cowering under Sam's glare.

"So take the hit when you wake me up!" Sam pushes Freddie away, the blazing anger in her eyes suddenly dimming when Freddie cringes. "You can't do that to me, okay?" Her voice is almost pleading, her blue eyes appearing transparent in their sudden anguish. Freddie takes in her appearance, unconsciously straightening out of his defensive position and letting his obvious regret play on his face. I can tell he's confused about Sam's sudden mood swing, possibly picking even more than I had out of Sam's plea, but he doesn't allow any doubt to come through; instead the force of his apologetic stare seems way too intense for the situation. But what else could he be apologizing for?

My eyes flicker to Sam, taking in her suddenly rigid and almost mechanic posture. She knows that she's slipped up, but (as per usual) she responds by closing herself off. Freddie shifts towards her, his eyes never leaving her face, as he waits for some sign or indication that I don't have a hope of understanding. Sam looks down, her sudden retreat from Freddie's intense gaze saying more than words ever could.

"I won't do that anymore if it bothers you, but there has to be some other way to wake you up calmly besides the smell of bacon." Freddie begs in a whisper, easing the tiniest bit closer to Sam. Sam's eyes flicker up for a brief second and I catch the slightest hint of doubt mingling with some other barely restrained emotion. Freddie's eyes light up in understanding for a brief second before the understanding fully sinks in and his eyes become pleading. "There is another way to wake you up without you trying to pummel the person." Freddie stares at Sam intently, somehow forcing the answer out of her.

"I don't know if it works still. My dad did it when I was little, before-." Sam falters, tearing her eyes away from Freddie. I feel sudden and unfathomable pity and sympathy, knowing this was quickly becoming high stakes for Sam. Sure she was great at bluffing, but this subject wasn't something to gamble over.

"Before what?" Freddie asks softly, shifting even closer to Sam. It's obvious that he wants her to confide in him, to trust him, but this is Sam we're talking about. She just shakes her head, staring steadily at the suddenly interesting hardwood floor. "How 'bout this? If I win the boxing match today, than you tell me." Sam looks up, managing a small smile. Wait…what boxing match?

"What am I going to get when I win?" Sam asks, her voice even. Freddie frowns at this, drawing a laugh out of Sam.

"Uhh…the joy of beating me to a pulp?" He tries, looking at her hopefully. Sam shakes her head in amusement, biting her lip. I suddenly realize that Freddie has done the impossible: coaxed Sam out of her retreat and forced her to communicate. Sam continues to chew on her lip and Freddie's hopeful look remains, completely at Sam's mercy. I smile to myself, not missing the barely perceptible shifting that had pulled them increasingly closer to each other. Now only a few bare inches separated them but neither seems fully conscious of this yet.

"Whatever, nub. No way you're gonna win anyway." Sam consents, finally having her fill of Freddie's helplessness. I'm so absorbed in what's happening that I don't find my voice until now.

"What boxing match?" I sputter in a slightly accusational tone, the sudden interruption making the oblivious couple jump before whirling around to face me. Freddie had obviously forgotten that I was here and Sam's been too distracted to know that I was here in the first place. They both flush identical shades of crimson and stammer an odd medley of apologies, greetings, and explanations. Sam backs into Freddie's chest, seemingly unaware to the responding brush of his hand on hers. There's an incredibly brief nanosecond before Sam finally says something coherent where she closes her eyes and allows herself to sink into Freddie. Freddie shifts the tiniest bit to accommodate her and she opens her eyes reluctantly, maintaining her position against Freddie comfortably.

"Fredhead challenged me to a boxing match this afternoon." Sam says weakly, clearing her throat before continuing. "I need to take a shower." She jerks away from Freddie, running up the stairs before I can question her further. Freddie shifts his weight back and forth, his blush slowly fading as his eyes dart around the room.

"Well, she's up so I'm gonna go finish getting ready. I'll meet you in the hall." He nods once awkwardly, hurrying out the door before I can ask him anything. I sigh, collapsing on the couch in exasperation at their behavior. I had a feeling that they were keeping a lot more from me than they let on or I had even suspected.

Freddie POV 7:00AM Day 11

I step out into the hall, exhaling in relief when I see that Sam and Carly aren't out here yet. My thoughts turn to Sam, puzzling over what she had said earlier. How had her dad used to wake her up? More importantly, why had he stopped? I had always known that something must have happened to Sam's dad to make her mom like she was. From the rare occasions when Sam had talked about her mom, and the even rarer times that I saw her myself, I had gathered that something was very wrong. It wasn't uncommon for Mrs. Puckett to drink much more than she should and she often had a new boyfriend every week. A person didn't become like that unless _something_ had happened to them. Carly's door opens, forcing me out of my thoughts abruptly.

"That was the last set of clothes you have here. You need to go home tonight." Carly tells Sam, closing the door behind them. "Oh, hi Freddie." Carly waves but Sam is too focused on their conversation to greet me. I trail behind them, eavesdropping, as they head to the elevator.

"I don't even know if she's back yet. I've been over every night to feed Frothy, but she's never home." Sam says to Carly, pushing the elevator button.

"Don't know if who's home?" I interject, looking between the two in confusion.

"Sam's mom…." Carly searches for the right word.

"Abandoned?" Sam supplies, stepping into the elevator. Carly shakes her head and we both follow Sam into the elevator.

"Sam's mom left unexpectedly-." Sam rolls her eyes at Carly's generous words. "and we don't know when she'll be back."

"Your mom didn't tell you when she'd be back?" I ask incredulously, stepping out into the lobby.

"She didn't tell me that she was leaving." Sam says without emotion. I study her poker face, pushing to figure out what she's really feeling. Sam seems to sense this, quickly turning her face from me so I can't study her further. My upper lip curls in something akin to a grimace, determined to figure out whatever she was keeping from me. I was still her best friend, after all.

"YOU ROTTEN TEENAGERS! I WISH YOU WOULD JUST GRADUATE ALREADY AND LEAVE ME AND MY WART ALONE!" Lewbert screams in rage when we walk past him.

"WE'RE ONLY JUNIORS LEWBY, SO YOU GET TO SEE US FOR ANOTHER WHOLE YEAR!" Sam yells back, laughing when Lewbert screams incoherently at us. I pull open the door, waiting for Carly and Sam to exit the building before following them. It's sprinkling lightly outside and gray clouds loom overhead threateningly. Carly pulls her hood up immediately to make sure her hair stays dry but Sam doesn't even seem to notice that it's raining at all.

"Where did she go?" I ask the blonde to my right. She shrugs, staring at the path ahead to avoid my gaze. I had hoped (probably unrealistically) that we would both be able to forget last night easily but the tension was slowly building with every second that we ignored it. It was all too obvious to both of us that we couldn't last like this, but-of course-we ignore it. I'm still waiting for Sam to answer, but the brunette on my left does instead.

"Probably Vegas. Maybe Canada." Carly looks down at the sidewalk sadly. "She'll tell Sam all about it when she gets back." I feel sick inside, wondering how I had never heard about this before.

"Is that why Melanie stays at boarding school?" My simple question stops the girls in their tracks, both staring at me in shock.

"You know she's real?" Carly asks, gaping at me. I shrug, wondering why it's such a big deal to them.

"Of course." I turn my eyes to Sam, speaking to her now. "You and Melanie are completely different. How could I not know?" Sam's blue eyes are a chaotic mix of colors as she takes my words in.

"But you were so convinced that it was me! You even made me say that you were too smart for me!" Sam says, her surprise quickly turning to annoyance. I manage to wait a few seconds before I break out into a smug smile.

"Who am I to turn down a victory against Sam Puckett?" Carly bursts out laughing at my statement but Sam glares at me. I try to ignore the way her eyes ice over into frigid fury instead of the kaleidoscope quality that rendered me tongue-tied on a regular basis. Sam's icy glare has the unique ability of actually making you feel cold, the ice in her eyes spreading through you infectiously. Normally, I'd back down now and Sam may or may not allow her fury to fade. Except today I feel a sort of heady rush of determination and continue to laugh in the face of Sam Puckett. Her lips curl into a near snarl and her hands slowly close to fists before opening slowly and then returning to fists. Maybe she was planning to strangle me.

"You jerkface!" Sam yells, pushing me into Carly. We both collapse to the ground, laughing uncontrollably. "It's not funny!" Sam yells, her anger only growing every second. Carly wipes away the tears of laugher in her eyes before looking up at Sam.

"Oh, come on Sam. It's pretty funny." Carly disagrees, laughing even harder when Sam glowers at her.

"It is not! This…" Sam pauses, unable to find a suitable insult.

"Nub?" I suggest, propping myself up on my elbows.

"This nub totally…." She pauses again, speechless with rage.

"Outsmarted you?" I supply, getting to my feet. Sam glares at me icily, letting me know that my life expectancy was going to take a sudden turn for the worse unless I shut up. There's a tense moment where our eyes meet, trying to stare the other down. I search her eyes, trying to see past her anger, exactly like last night. She falters under my defiant stare, her walls lowering for the briefest second. I'm startled by the sudden rush of emotions that I catch in that one second. Embarrassment, betrayal, sorrow, and, the fiercest of all but the last I expect to see: pain. Sam looks away, swallowing heavily at the loss of her fury. It wasn't unheard of for Sam to switch emotions so quickly (sometimes I honestly thought she was bipolar), but Sam's silence was even more dangerous than any possible words or actions. She was shutting us out.

"C'mon guys. We're going to be late if we don't get moving." Carly's words break into our own little world, pulling us back into reality. Sam moves first, shifting so that Carly walks between us. Hurt floods through me, my heart pumping with increasing pain with each beat. All of the regret and anxiety from last night's fight comes back to me in full force, almost making me gasp with its intensity. Carly notices that something is wrong…but not with me. "You okay Sam?" She asks softly, touching Sam's arm gently.

"Perfect." Sam grits through her teeth, pulling her hoodie up to hide her expression. We walk in tense silence for a few minutes but I can feel Carly's eyes shifting between us.

"Okay, that's it!" Carly suddenly exclaims, throwing her arms in the air. I stop in surprise, instinctively noticing that Sam freezes in a similar position. "What the hell happened last night?" Carly demands, turning around to face us and effectively blocking our path.

**Cliffie! So...completely suckish? Or completely Seddie? Leave me a review to let me know what you think! My fav part? Hmm...probably being able to develop the characters in this chapter. I also liked the Seddie! What was your fav part?**

**I can't even put into words how grateful I am to all of the amazing feedback I got from last chapter. Reviews make my day and make me smile, so HUGE thanks to: seddieluver4eva, ChaosKeks, Mari13ssa, leodoglover, CandyRox12, coketree20, XcrozzybabezX, yes2seddieno2creddie, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, SuperSumer, omgseddie, Aria P, bella3590, Mystapleza, Castle-of-Bones, Pixbby5, Romance and Musicals, G, iShipSeddie, Kpfan72491, MultiSeddielover, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, SeddieIsTheOneAnswer, soultaker97, smiley face, Ashlee Seddie, icecoffee18, Lanter, and mygirl1807!**

**TO YES2SEDDIENO2CREDDIE: I am an extremely talkative person! I still can't beleive I'm almost to 600 reviews, it's kind of surreal. If this was an episode of iCarly, I would be psyched to watch it cuz there's just so much Seddie! :D**

**TO OMGSEDDIE: Believe me, I wish there had been a Seddie kiss last chapter too, but it didn't feel right and the whole story/plot would be useless if that had happened. Stay tuned for more Seddie! :)**

**TO G: Boxing scene in about 4 or 5 chapters. Why so long? Because Sam and Freddie are going to have one heck of a day. Let's just say that rehersal is going to be particularly difficult. :)**

**TO SEDDIEISTHEONEANSWER: Sam and Freddie do always seem to forget than confront. We're going to be seeing that a lot! Glad you liked last chapter so much! :D**

**TO SMILEY FACE: One of my other reviewers, leodoglover, wants to post a prompt under your challenges. What do you think? Do you want to see the prompt first?**

**So...that's about it! Thanks a BILLION for reading and please review! :D**


	35. Sixth Grade Cooties

**WOW I have to thank all of the reviewers for helping me reach 600 on this story! You guys are all amazing cuz the reviews make my day! :)**

**Read on...**

Freddie POV (continued)

I turn my gaze to Sam, silently asking how much she wants to give away. I'm sure that she can feel my eyes burning into her, but she ignores me, keeping her poker face intact for Carly. "Don't even try and tell me that nothing happened because I swear you can reach out and feel the tension between you two!" Carly looks at us desperately but I keep my eyes on Sam, carefully watching for a possible slip. Instead Sam only shakes her head, leaving the paralyzing smell of strawberries in her wake, and gently pushes Carly out of the way before continuing her walk to school. We had been shut out. Again.

Carly looks after Sam for a long moment before turning on me. "What happened?" I'm still watching Sam's progress, pain and regret from last night overwhelming me. I hated the truth that had resided in both Sam's demands that I back off and my stubborn defensiveness that had gotten us here. Was it really so impossible to get along? I feel Carly's hand on my arm and tear my eyes away from Sam reluctantly, pushing away my thoughts. Carly's eyes sweep across my face, studying my expression carefully. She finally seems to come to a conclusion, her demanding demeanor softening. "On second thought, don't tell me." I nod once in relief, glad that she's not trying to guilt me into betraying Sam, but still mildly surprised that she's actually letting this go. "Freddie?" Carly asks, folding her arms across her chest. I focus on her, nodding to show that she has my attention. "You need to lose that boxing match today." I do a double take at her words, blinking in confusion. Carly turns and starts walking up the sidewalk but I follow her, my heart quickening at the promise of new information about Sam.

"I don't really have a chance anyway. Why do I have to lose again?" Carly looks stricken, gripping her purse tighter and shooting me a quick look of intense nervousness.

"It's just…Sam doesn't like to think about her dad, let alone talk about him." She finally says, choosing her words carefully. The unexpected answer forces me to recall the bet that I had stuck with Sam less than an hour ago.

"Why? Did something happen…?" I trail off when Carly begins shaking her head in sorrow or refusal. Maybe both.

"It's not my story to tell. If Sam wants you to know, she'll explain herself." Carly's eyes have a faraway look in them, sadness the dominant emotion. A chill suddenly creeps into my bones, knowing that there was more to all of this than met the eye. My thoughts make the leap between Sam's dad and my dad, something that I didn't think about often. I suddenly knew with certainty that Sam had it worse than I did when it came to this…and that was saying something.

Carly POV 12:15PM Day 11

I set my lunch tray down on our table, greeting Freddie and Gibby half-heartedly before sitting down.

"Have you seen Sam?" Freddie asks anxiously, crushing his sandwich to a pulp. My pear phone rings before I can answer and I pull it out to see that I have a text from Sam.

"Oh, just got a text. Hold on a sec." I skim through the short text, my heart sinking. Freddie's eyes burn into me and he taps his foot anxiously. "She's not coming." I tell Freddie, watching as he attempts to hide his hurt and anxiety.

"Is something wrong? Did she leave school?" He asks, failing to keep the emotion out of his voice. I put my pear phone back in my pocket, hating that I had to be the one to tell Freddie this.

"She's fine." I reassure him. His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion.

"Why isn't she here then?"

"Because she's eating with Pete."

The pulverized sandwich falls from his suddenly limp fingers to the table.

Sam POV 2:30PM Day 11

Mr. Howard is currently wasting my time, blabbing about something that I have zero interest in. To be honest, I'm not even sure what subject he's teaching. Bored out of my mind, my thoughts turn to lunch today. I roll my eyes at the thought, shaking my head. Pete sat at the opposite end of the cafeteria than I usually did, surrounded by his baseball team and their girlfriends. The guys had all been extremely focused on their conversation, which had been (of course) centered around baseball.

**Flashback:**

"**The Cards have got to hold on to Pujols. They've got Carpenter and Wainwright too, so I say they take their division easy." Pete was saying, taking a huge bite of his sandwich. I watch in distaste as he chews with his mouth open and displays the mashed up ham, cheese, mayo, and lettuce for all to see. Another guy shakes his head in dissent, leaning forward.**

"**I don't know, man. I think the Reds have got a real shot at it." He says, several other heads bobbing in agreement. Before Pete can respond, I tap him on the shoulder and he turns around to face me.**

"**Sam!" I feel the entire table, especially the girlfriends, focus in on me. "Uh…what's up?" I shift my weight to adjust my backpack to a more comfortable position without spilling my lunch tray.**

"**Just wanted to eat here today." I say, hoping that Pete won't ask the obvious follow up question.**

"**Oh. What about Freddie and Carly?" Of course he had to ask that, loud enough that a few tables nearby are also staring at me now. One girl especially, sitting across the table from Pete, stares at me expectantly.**

"**Skip it." I say, relieved when Pete nods and turns to the dark-haired guy on his left.**

"**Can you scoot over dude?" The dark-haired guy nods, shifting over so that I can sit next to Pete. I collapse into the seat, trying to tune out the boy's talk. The girl across the table continues to stare at me as I pick through my crappy school lunch but I ignore her. For once in my life, I wasn't very hungry. Inevitably, my thoughts turn to Freddie. He had known about Melanie this whole time, something that filled me with humiliation and disappointment. Humiliation because Freddie had actually managed to pull one over on me. Disappointment because it had been surprisingly reassuring when I thought Freddie didn't know about Melanie. I'm suddenly bitter, hating my twin. Everyone that met Melanie immediately liked her better than me, probably because she was perfect. She gets straight A's, never gets in trouble, and (maybe worst of all) she knows exactly how to force you to like her. Who would want to hang out with someone like me when there was a perfect version out there? The only person that had ever liked me better than Melanie was my dad. A paralyzing and always terrifying memory attacks me and, for a second, I'm not in the cafeteria anymore. I can feel the cheap polyester seat under me and the blaring of the radio treats me to a few bars of the one song that I can't stand. Before the memory can haunt me anymore, I force myself back to the present and instinctively push away any trace of the past. These mental walls are a natural tool to my survival, just as much (if not more) as any other assent I possess.**

**Freddie would choose Melanie over me in a heartbeat, just like everyone else.**

"**It's Sam Puckett, right?" I blink, both welcoming and resenting the distraction. The girl across the table that had been studying me intensely earlier waits for my answer, leaning forward slightly. I study her, taking in her brunette hair that falls in precise ringlets, brown eyes, and flawless caramel skin. Her nails are perfectly manicured, not a cuticle out of place. She's wearing a form fitting black mini dress, a matching necklace around her neck. All of this fills me with immediate dislike, plus the fact that she's even talking to me pisses me off. Yeah, yeah don't judge a book by its cover or whatever. But I'm Sam Puckett and I can do whatever the hell I want.**

"**What's it to you?" I finally answer, injecting my voice with venom. The girl leans away at my tone before recovering and shooting me a million watt smile that only pisses me off more.**

"**I'm Mya. I was just wondering if you could tell me when the next Wake Up Spencer is going to be." I lean away, pushing my tray around the table and shaking my head. "You see, it's my favorite segment on the iCarly website and there hasn't been one in over two weeks." She seems to notice my expression for the first time and stops speaking with a sort of terrified stutter. I pick up the fruit cup off of my lunch tray and resist the urge to throw it at Mya. Instead I squeeze it, trying to relieve my urge to punch something.**

"**I don't know if there's going to be a Wake Up Spencer anytime soon." I say through clenched teeth, squeezing the fruit cup tighter. It wasn't worth getting expelled over. Mya takes a deep breath to steel herself before continuing.**

"**Are you and Freddie in a fight right now?" My vision flashes red at the question, the only thing stopping me from punching her in the face the feeling of something trickling down my arm. I turn my attention to my arm, noticing the broken fruit cup that I must have crushed in my hand.**

"**Shit!" I curse, quickly dropping the leaking cup back onto my tray. Something touches my arm lightly and I turn to my right. Pete silently hands me a napkin and I dry the sticky juice off of my arm.**

"**I'll take that as a yes." Mya says under her breath, barely loud enough for me to hear. Feeling dozens of eyes on me for the first time, I notice every single person from this table and nearby tables watching me. All of my annoyance and anger drains out of me, like someone has pulled the plug on my emotions. Not caring what everyone saw, I dropped my head in my hands, going back to Freddie once again.**

"**Shit!"**

The bell rings loudly, startling me out of my thoughts. I grab my backpack off of the floor and throw it over my shoulder carelessly. An unhealthy and ridiculous hope swells within me, making my stomach tighten in anticipation. I catch sight of him, a huge sense of relief overwhelming me. I silently scold myself, hating how much I wanted to reach across the tense barrier that was separating us and touch him. We walk silently, both of us trying not to drown in the tension while I simultaneously fight to get over the ever constant urge to touch him. I stare straight ahead, knowing that looking at him will only make everything worse. Either by anger or disgust, Freddie seems to have the same idea, focusing on the hallway in front of us rather than me. We reach the theater after what feels like an eternity and Freddie holds the door open for me, politely waiting until I go in. If Crazy had done one thing right, it had been to make Freddie the image of chivalry. Not that would ever admit it-I could barely admit it to myself-but, for some unfathomable reason, I thought it was nice. Ms. Esposito doesn't give me any time to reflect on this further, already bustling over to us.

"My chickens, there you are!" She calls, sounding slightly flustered. "I have made a few more changes to the script." Ms. Esposito holds up a copy of the script, her green eyes shining in excitement behind her glasses.

"What kind of changes?" Freddie and I ask at the same time. I glance over at him before I can stop myself, meeting his eyes for the briefest second before we both flinch away. This tension was going to kill us. That is, if his eyes didn't drown me in chocolate first.

"I just added a few things, so do not worry." She laughs, reaching out to place one hand on my arm and her other hand on Freddie's arm. "Really, my chickens, does this look like sixth grade? I assure that there are no cooties for you to catch." It takes me a second to understand what Ms. Esposito is saying through her accent but I'm helped along by her expression of distaste and exasperation as she eyes the obvious distance that Freddie and I had put between us. Before I can quite grasp what's happening, she shoves us together with more force than I would have thought possible for an old lady. Unprepared for the sudden push, I trip over my own feet and crash into Freddie's chest. He automatically reaches out to steady me, gripping my forearms carefully. I flush with heat but the sense of relief at being able to touch him is so strong that I allow myself to relax against him for half a second, basking in the perfection of the feel of him against me. Coming back to my senses, I yank myself away from Freddie and try to hide that my heart had suddenly picked up double time.

"What kind of things?" I ask, my face still burning. Freddie shifts closer to me, his arm brushing mine lightly. The feeling of reassurance and well-being returns, the simple contact so relaxing that I pretend I don't notice it. It shouldn't feel this good to touch him. It was dangerous that it felt this good to touch him.

"I just added a few kisses, my chickens." Ms. Esposito says it so casually that I don't fully process her words until a second later. Freddie's sharp intake of breath and my shocked expression seem to let Ms. Esposito in on exactly what we're thinking. She rolls her eyes and adjusts her glasses. "I only added four."

**DUN DUN DUNNN! Sorry, couldn't resist. So...completely Seddie or completely suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :( My fav part? Probably where Ms. Esposito 'helps' them get over their fear of cooties...also a lot of great foreshadowing this chapter.**

**Again, huge thanks to all of the incredible reviewers: smiley face, LaughingInvisibleShadow, bella3590, Mystapleza, ChaosKeks, MultiSeddielover, iMaximum Seddie, Castle-of-Bones, Rainbow1999, coketree20, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Aria P, xcrozzybabezx, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, leodoglover, Kpfan72491, mirage888, TheGrapeTyphlosion, Mari13ssa, Romance and Musicals, SuperSumer, Lanter, G, Just Another Random Reader, icecoffee18, and seddieroxxmysoxx! Want a cool shout out like these amazing people? All you gotta do is review! :D**

**Just a reminder, but sneak peeks of future iShakespeare scenes can be found on my profile BUT remember that they aren't in chronological order and out of context. :)**

**TO SMILEY FACE: Sorry it took me so long to update...school is determined that I shouldn't have any semblance of a life. :(**

**TO THE GRAPE TYPHLOSION: Wow, thanks! I love writing this story and it makes me happy (and a little confused) when other people like it for some reason. About your one-shot, you should most definitely (shout out to Just Another Random Reader!) write it! If you never write, than how are you supposed to grow as an author and get better? The number one tip that published writers give is that you should write anything and everything you can. Don't be discouraged if people don't immediately take to your writing and keep working at it. You're writing for yourself anyway. I can't wait to see how your one-shot comes out! :D**

**TO G: Hope it lived up to the wait! This chapter was difficult to get quite right, but it turned out okay. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and I'll just leave you alone with that review button now. )**


	36. Gibby the Kamikaze Ninja

**Are you ready for the Seddie? Read on...**

Freddie POV 3:00PM Day 11

FOUR? I automatically look down at Sam, flinching at her panicked expression before shifting my attention to Mrs. Esposito.

"How could you possibly add four? How many were there originally?" I manage to ask evenly, still reeling internally. Ms. Esposito shakes her head, throwing her hands in the air dramatically.

"This is the theater, my chickens! A kiss in the theater is nothing more than another line that you have to say!" She rolls her eyes at our (in her opinion) overreaction and stares us down (impressive, considering she's about five feet tall). "Why should I not use my resources? Like it or not, you two are like…like…" She struggles for the right word in her agitation, putting her clipboard down on a nearby chair. She finally gives up on finding her word, instead miming lighting a match and setting something of fire (she even makes the _whoosh _sound to indicate that whatever she's lit with the match has been consumed by flames). "Yes?" Ms. Esposito asks, her cheeks red with exertion and slight annoyance when I stare back at her with my mouth hanging half open. She moves closer slowly, obviously under the impression that she needed to explain this better. "It is a gift to be so in tune with your partner and I don't think you two realize the…the…" She huffs in exasperation, hunting for a word. I'm utterly distracted by her little rant, looking down at Sam for the first time to see her reaction. She appears to be just as shocked as I am, inching away from Ms. Esposito and closer to me. I smile slightly, bumping my arm into her arm for a brief second to savor the calming feel…and to annoy her. Sam looks up in confusion, her expression quickly becoming sarcastic at the doofus smile plastered across my face. "Chemistry!" Ms. Esposito announces triumphantly, finally finding her elusive word. "People will be hanging out of door to buy a ticket to see this!" Sam stiffens, no doubt every ounce as horrified as I was embarrassed, and shifts away from me. Ms. Esposito doesn't miss this, rolling her eyes as she picks up her clipboard and flips through her script, silently counting. The suspense is literally killing me, my heart racing. Every kiss with Sam was going to pull me deeper, lessening my already slim chances of getting over her. "Eight." Ms. Esposito finally says, her eyes flashing between us. Sam backs up, her head accidently resting against my shoulder.

"Eight." She says, no inflection whatsoever detectable. I shift automatically, pulling Sam's head to rest on my chest and wrapping my arm around her shoulders to make sure she doesn't faint of disgust or something.

"Eight." Ms. Esposito confirms. She watches us for a few seconds before gripping Sam's arm. "Come along, Juliet. Romeo needs to go learn swordplay." I don't even realize that I'm playing a tug of war over Sam with Mrs. Esposito until she clears her throat. "Romeo, release." I quickly let go of Sam, noticing that she seems barely conscious of what was happening.

"Eight." Sam repeats, her voice now thick with anxiety. I grimace, not blaming her for freaking out for having to kiss me multiple times. She probably has a 'been there, done that' attitude towards the whole thing. Mrs. Esposito rolls her eyes, pushing me towards the stage before pulling Sam towards the backstage area. I pause at the edge of the stage, following Sam with my eyes until Gibby comes running up to greet me.

"Check it out Freddie!" Gibby says with WAY to much enthusiasm, swinging a very real looking rapier in my direction. I back away from him, carefully avoiding the swinging blade. Before I get a chance to advise Gibby against swinging his blade around while screaming 'kamikaze ninja' at the top of his lungs, someone takes a more instructive approach.

"Dude, your grip is wrong." I turn to see a guy about our age in soccer warm-ups and a gray t-shirt. He raises an eyebrow, reaching for Gibby's rapier. Gibby reluctantly obliges, handing him the rapier hilt-first. The guy takes the hilt and almost caresses it in his hands but after the whole 'kamikaze ninja' episode a minute ago, I'm not quite ready to take chances. I back away from the new guy, pulling Gibby with me. The guy suddenly swings the rapier through the air, laughing with delight at the whistling sound the blade makes. He steps back, parrying an imaginary strike before he jabs again. He's practically dancing with the blade and I can't help but be impressed with his skill. Gibby and I watch in amazement for a few minutes before the guy stops, not even out of breath. I'd seen many fencers, but none of them had anything on this guy.

"Who are you?" I ask, watching as he runs his finger along the blade. The guy laughs, flipping some of his dark hair out of his eyes.

"I'm Brian Phillips. I won the junior national championships for fencing last year." He explains, looking up at us briefly before returning his attention back to the blade.

"Well, call me Wade Collins and drag me to the pigeons, we've got a REAL kamikaze ninja!" Gibby says randomly, drawing a questioning look from Brian. I shake my head, not even trying to figure Gibby out. He'd never really recovered from his brief friendship with Reuben.

"Yeah, we don't know." I say under my breath, loud enough for Brian to hear it but not loud enough for Gibby. My thoughts turn back to Brian's last words before Gibby's moment of…Gibbyness. "Why are you here?" I ask, awed in this guy's presence. Brian swings the rapier to rest on his shoulder before looking back at me.

"I'm supposed to be your teacher right? This filthy rich drama lady called me and asked me to do swordplay lessons." He chuckles for a minute, returning his attention to the rapier on his shoulder. "I don't come cheap."

Sam POV 3:10PM Day 11

Ms. Esposito pulls me along, giving frustrated huffs when I practically drag my feet. I was still caught up in terror at the whole kiss thing. It had all started on that fire escape, with one little kiss. Sure, it had taken jealously to make me realize that I liked Freddie, but the kiss had been what sparked it in the first place. Now that I was trying (unsuccessfully) to get over him, I was going to have to kiss him. Eight times.

Wait. Eight times in five performances…chiz.

I try (unsuccessfully) not to hyperventilate.

Ms. Esposito drags me into a room backstage, closing the door behind us. I don't realize there's another person in the room until I sense movement.

"Sam? Are you okay?" Carly asks, reaching out to steady me by my arm. I shake my head, resisting the urge to be sick. I should have known…she had even warned me. Yet I had still gone and broken the one rule that I had been determined to follow. Irony…it sucks.

"Should have listened to you." I whisper to no one in particular, staring off into space. Carly's eyebrows scrunch together in confusion and I feel her focus switch to Mrs. Esposito.

"I added a few kisses, that is all, Rosaline." Mrs. Esposito says nonchalantly, rustling some papers around. Carly's grip on my arm tightens and I rock back on my heels before shifting to my toes again.

"Oh?" Carly asks faintly, receiving some signal of confirmation from Ms. Esposito. I shake my head to clear it, trying to return to reality. More papers rustle and then Mrs. Esposito gives a cry of happiness

"Here we are, my chickens. The rules for kissing in one of my productions." She clears her throat and I look up at her in confusion. Rules for kissing? "Number one, kiss must last a minimum of eight seconds but may not exceed a minute. Number two, absolutely no French kissing. My patrons find the use of tongues revolting. Number three, keep your hands to yourself. You are allowed to touch the following body parts of your partner: back, waist, shoulders, and face. Girls may touch boy's chest but boys cannot touch girl's chest. Are we clear?" I try to nod but the only thing holding me upright is Carly's grip on my arm. There were RULES for kissing in her plays?

"If I'm not kissing anyone in the play, then why did you tell me to be here?" Carly asks, her gaze flicking back and forth between me and Mrs. Esposito. The drama teacher sighs, taking in my paralyzed expression again.

"Emotional support." She answers simply, handing a paper to Carly. "Plus someone's got to tell Romeo the rules and I doubt Juliet here is up to the challenge." I try to breathe deeply, struggling to find something reassuring. Romeo and Juliet! It wouldn't be Freddie and I kissing it would be Romeo and Juliet! The thought seems to balance me, despite how misguided it was. Mrs. Esposito waves, smiling slightly at me before leaving the room.

"Sam! Are you going to throw up?" Carly asks, keeping me steady on my feet.

"Not anymore." I say, taking a big breath of air before exhaling in an attempt to calm myself. "I just…need a minute." Carly nods, pulling me over to sit down in one of the chairs in front of a makeup station.

"Don't worry Sam, I'll tell Freddie for you." Carly says, looking down at the paper Mrs. Esposito had given her. My hands begin to shake uncontrollably and I look up at Carly in panic.

"It's not me and Freddie! It's Romeo and Juliet that are kissing, not us!" I protest, desperately hanging onto this one thought. Carly raises her eyebrows, her eyes widening at my outburst.

"Alright, Sam." She finally says, reaching out to rub my arm. I don't even realize that I'm breathing heavily until now, my chest heaving while I try and catch my breath. Carly steps closer, pulling me into a tight hug to comfort me. "It's ok, Sam. You're going to be fine. It's just Romeo and Juliet, alright?" Carly says, her words not having the calming effect that they intended. I pull away, looking down at the ground. Every single kiss was going to drag me deeper, pulling me towards what I had always sworn would never happen.

"Can I run lines with you? Maybe the scenes between Juliet and her nurse, just to get them memorized." I say weakly, trying to distract myself. Anything had to be better than dwelling on the second biggest screw up of my life.

Freddie POV 4:40PM Day 11

"That about wraps it up!" Brian says, resting his rapier on his shoulder and smiling at us. "Not bad, not bad at all." I hear loud clapping from the audience and everyone on stage turns to see Ms. Esposito.

"Thank you Mr. Phillips. It's an honor to have such a handsome young man here to teach swordplay!" Brian nods at his name, pausing dramatically before flipping his hair out of his face again. Maybe I'll nickname him 'Flipper'. No matter how many times Sam taunted me about my 'lame hairstyle' I would never let it grow long. "You all did very well my chickens, so go home and memorize now!" The fencing lesson had been a welcome distraction, but now it was over and reality was crashing over me. "Romeo, stay here please." Ms. Esposito says, her voice almost stern. Gibby nudges me playfully in the arm, bumping me forward.

"Busted by the mustard my home skillet!" He hisses under his breath, laughing softly when I glare at him. All of the other guys collect their backpacks and exit the theater, leaving me alone with Ms. Esposito. She takes a deep breath, resting her hands on her hips before exhaling audibly. "Okay Romeo, go fetch Juliet. I need you two to rehearse for me. She's in dressing room eight." I nod, blood pounding in my head and making me feel slightly dizzy. Nonetheless, I headed backstage and finally reach the door of dressing room number eight. Before I can chicken out, I seize the doorknob and throw the door open. My eyes automatically gravitate towards the right side of the room, focusing on Sam. She looks up from her script at that exact moment, our eyes meeting. Sam's face flushes, looking down immediately. I continue to study her, hoping that she'll look up at me again. She doesn't.

"Ms. Esposito wants us to come rehearse." I finally say, trying to forget. Forty kisses that would hurt me immeasurably, maybe even beyond a hope of repair, when we went back to normal after this play. Sam nods slowly, getting to her feet and rubbing her stomach absently. I exit the room, holding the door open for her. We walk down the hallway slowly and Sam rubs her stomach again.

"You know what I hate?" She asks out of the blue, looking up at me. I shrug, frowning a little bit at the first thing that comes to mind.

"Me?" I guess, keeping me eyes focused on the walkway in front of us and trying not to let how much it got to me when she said she hated me show. I knew she didn't hate me anymore but liking someone and tolerating someone are two completely different things.

"What? No." Sam says, confused by my conclusion for some reason. She had just told me last night that she 'hated' me, but now she acts like it's the stupidest guess I could have made. I look down at her, taking in her grimace. "I'm starving! I hate missing my after school snack!" Her stomach growls and somehow, even though I'm completely miserable, she forces a laugh out of me. Sam just has the ability to make me feel better, no matter what I'm depressed about. Her stomach growls again and she glares at me when I laugh even harder. "It's." She delivers a hard slap to my arm. "not." Slap. "funny." Slap. "Benson!" She slaps my arm a final time and I wince through my laugher.

"Sorry." I apologize, keeping a straight face for a second before bursting into laughter again. "Is food all you can think about?" I ask, still chuckling. Sam glowers at me, raising one eyebrow.

"Is lame techie stuff all _you_ can think about?" She counters, wiping the smirk off of my face.

"Touché."

**What did you think? Sam may have seemed a little OOC, but it's going to be explained in two chapters (probably) why she's so worried about this. I left a TON of foreshadowing hints for you, so tell me if you find any! My fav part was probably Ms. Esposito this chapter. She's so fun to write for! Did you have a favorite part? Did you not have a favorite part because it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**New poll up on my profile: Should Brian Philips return at a later point in the story? I like his character and want to know what you think!**

**I want to thank all of the reviewers because getting feedback (good or bad) is important to beinga better writer. So, GINORMOUS thanks to: Kpfan72491, Mystapleza, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mari13ssa, iMaximumSeddie, leodoglover, mirage888, coketree20, vigoleo23, withflyingcolors, Deathnotefan101, Romance and Musicals, bella3590, MultiSeddielover, ChaosKeks, soultaker97, icecoffee18, G, smiley face, Aria P, Clara Powell, mygirl1807, and Readerofwonderfulwriters!**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: I love ridiculously long reviews! XD Anyway, it must be very frustrating to be Sam surrounded by so much perfection but you don't even know the half of it yet!**

**TO DEATHNOTE101: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO SOULTAKER97: Glad you liked it! What did you think of this chapter? :)**

**TO G: I haven't written it yet, but there will probably be a scene where Sam and Freddie are give more...um...specific...stage directions. ;)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: I'm so sorry to hear that. My thoughts and prayers are with her remaining family and I hope you're doing okay.**

**TO READEROFWONDERFULWRITERS: This chapter was nice and long so I hope you enjoyed it too! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and (pretty please with a cherry on top) review! :D**


	37. Tricked

**Here's one of the longest chapters I've ever written...so read on! :)**

Carly POV 4:55PM Day 11

Sam and Freddie are bickering. Again. I don't even think that Freddie noticed me when he came in the room, having eyes only for Sam. I thought it was really sweet, but Sam had taken it in stride, like it meant nothing. I trail behind them, doing my best not to eavesdrop. Anything that I find out is just another piece of information for Wendy to use because there was no way I could lie to her and get away with it. That was why I had let it slide this morning when Sam and Freddie wouldn't tell me what had happened between them last night. We had promised no secrets, but I'm keeping things from them so it's only fair for them to have their secrets. I still didn't have a clue how they both ended up in the rain or what they had even fought about. You could always tell the difference between a fight and an argument with them. Sam and Freddie seemed to live for their arguments, whether it be for the undivided attention from the other or the fun they got from trying to one up each other. Every day for the past week they've been fighting, all hint of playfulness gone and replaced with very real fury that seemed to materialize at the smallest provocation.

"It's." Sam slaps Freddie's arm. "not." Slap. "funny." Slap. "Benson!" Freddie stops laughing at whatever he had found funny, trying to pull on a serious face.

"Sorry." Freddie apologizes, already cracking a smile. Sam is shooting him a death glare, but she's obviously not in a fighting mood right now. Probably still too stunned from Ms. Esposito's rules. "Is food all you can think about?" Freddie asks, his voice almost managing to be serious.

"Is lame techie stuff all _you_ can think about?" Call it girl's intuition, but I picked up on the very obvious undercurrent in Sam's voice that Freddie was completely clueless to.

"Touché." He says, blindly missing what Sam had really meant. Sam shakes her head, groaning when her stomach growls again. We finally reach the stage, stepping out into the bright light.

"Finally, my chickens! You are slow as snails sometimes." Ms. Esposito complains, not really annoyed but gesturing wildly nonetheless. She jerks Sam and Freddie forward, bumping them into each other. A small smile fights its way across my face when both of their faces flush, blushing slightly at the contact. "We're going to memorize some of the balcony scene today, yes?" Ms. Esposito tells them, releasing her grip on their arms and pulling a script out from under her arm. She hands the script to Freddie, nodding in satisfaction when Sam holds up her script. She catches sight of me hesitating on the outskirts of stage and her face brightens. "Ahh, there you are Rosaline. You may stay until after we are done to talk to Romeo." Sam and Freddie both turn to look at me, Sam flushing an even deeper red when Ms. Esposito mentions my talk with Freddie. They both appear surprised to see me, oblivious that I had been following them in the hallway backstage. I wave at them cheerily before jumping lightly off of the stage to the ground and settling in a seat near Ms. Esposito's table. "First with scripts and then without, okay my chickens?" Ms. Esposito instructs, pointing out a line on Freddie's script. "Start there, Romeo." She sits on the edge of the stage, sliding off to the ground carefully and adjusting her blue scarf before heading up the aisle to her table. "Well? Start, Romeo!" She prompts Freddie, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Oh, uh…right." He clears his throat and turns to face Sam.

Freddie POV 5:30PM Day 11

If there is one thing that I should remember from the last time I had memorized lines with Sam, it would be exactly how different rehearsing without a script is. Of course it's tough to learn the lines by heart, but even harder than that is the fact that I lose my excuse to look away from Sam. Without the script, everything feels so much more real and I know that it isn't healthy, not one bit, for me to enjoy it this much. It was like I was slipping into another layer of skin, becoming the character and losing any inhibitions I had.

"O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" I ask, halting Sam's retreat when I reach out to grab her hand. She jumps slightly at the contact, but holds character and doesn't beat the crap out of me. Instead she turns to face me, her eyes locking on mine with clear confusion.

_Translation: Oh, will you leave me so unsatisfied? _

"What satisfaction canst thou have to-night?" She counters, tightening her grip on my hand. The simple response to my touch does the strangest things to my heart and I forget my next line for a terrifying second before recovering.

_Translation: What other satisfaction can you have tonight?_

"The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine." I say softly, drawing her closer until she's almost completely in my arms. She breathes deeply, opening her eyes before speaking.

_Translation: The exchange of our faithful vows._

"I gave thee mine before thou didst request it;

And yet I would it were to give again." She breathes the words to me, the softness of her voice surprising me just as much as the quick squeeze on my hand again.

_Translation: I gave you mine before you asked; but I wish I had it back to give away again._

"Would'st thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?"

_Translation: You would withdraw it? Why, love?_

I allow the first hint of fear into my voice, the thought of my predicament with Sam enough inspiration for that. She would never think of me like I thought about her, and pretending that I had a chance with Sam was only going to hurt me. The only fear I feel is the terrifying thought of risking everything-and her friendship was everything-for something that had no possibility of ever occurring. There would never be an _us _but I choose not to dwell on this; instead desperately absorbing every second of Romeo and Juliet and everything _they _were.

It would never be _us, _but it could always be _them. _

Forever.

Following the stage direction that I'd memorized, I lean down and press my forehead to Sam's forehead, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her against me. Sam's breathing halts for an agonizing second, her blue eyes widening. This was closet I had ever been to Sam, at least with my eyes open. I take in her other features for a few brief seconds before the practically gravitational pull sucks me into her eyes. The chaotic flecks shift; navy separating into two slightly different shades before I notice another baby blue shade splitting into two slightly different tints. The colors appear to be almost breeding, splitting apart every second into new shades and forming a colorful tapestry of blue with an innumerable amount of tints. This was one way that I had told Melanie and Sam apart. Melanie's eyes were blue, of course, but they didn't change like Sam's eyes. Melanie's eyes were a thin, crystalline, but still pretty blue; yet they never changed. Sam's unpredictable eyes were constantly shifting, the flecks of color varying on her different emotions. It was something that I had always loved about Sam, even back when she was my own personal tormenter.

Forever.

Sam POV 5:40PM Day 11

Freddie finishes his line, his voice thick with fake fear of losing me, before leaning down and resting his forehead against mine. My heart stutters when Freddie also tightens his hold on me, pushing me into his chest until I can feel his heart accelerating in either terror at how close he was to me beating him up right now or possibly imaging that I'm Carly and he's gotten all he's ever wanted. I breathe deeply, taking in the cinnamon and vanilla before opening my eyes again. To my surprise, his gaze drifts and locks onto me with the strangest intensity, forcing me to meet his chocolate brown eyes again. I try to resist it, helplessly floundering before giving in and drowning in chocolate. They're always such a consistent, unchanging, brown that it takes my breath away. I've always loved Freddie's eyes, even when he was the little kid with the high pitched voice that was my own personal punching bag. Ms. Esposito clears her throat, prompting me to do my next line. Well, paragraph may be a better description.

"But to be frank and give it thee again.

And yet I wish but for the thing I have;

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep; the more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite.

I hearsome noise within: dear love, adieu!"

_Translation: Only to have the pleasure of giving it to you again. But I'm asking for what I already have. My generosity is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to you, the more I have. Both are infinite. Someone's calling. Dear love, goodbye!_

Reluctantly, I pull away from Freddie to look behind me where the nurse would be calling from.

"Anon, good nurse!—Sweet Montague, be true.

Stay but a little, I will come again."

_Translation: (To Nurse) Coming, good nurse! (To Romeo) Sweet Montague, be faithful. Stay for a minute and I'll be back. _

I release Freddie's hand and he lets it fall to his side as I hurry to the backstage area. A second later, loud clapping fills the theater and I come out into the bright lights again. Ms. Esposito is standing, applauding enthusiastically. I walk over to Freddie slowly and stand close enough that our arms are brushing. The small touch was completely natural, like it had always been like this...wait a second. I blink, slowly coming out of my Juliet character, amazed at exactly how much I had let her take over me. I blink again, noticing how utterly calm I feel. After a rehearsal like that-not to mention the implications that came with it-I should be panicking. Somehow, the warm arm resting lightly against mine right now is keeping me centered.

"Brava, my chickens!" Ms. Esposito calls, ending 'bravo' with an a instead of an o. "Very, very good as long as Juliet here remembers that she has lines." She chuckles and shakes her head.

"I didn't forget!" I protest, noticing that Freddie was staring down at me with raised eyebrows. "I just…was pausing for….dramatic effect!" I try, praying they'll buy it. Freddie's still staring at me, but at least he doesn't look suspicious anymore. I meet his eyes, my stomach grumbling in a way that can only be described as demanding.

_I'm hungry._ My eyes say in a whiney voice, making Freddie chuckle.

_You're always hungry. _His eyes reply, daring me to contradict it. I'm just about to shoot back a sharp comeback when somebody shakes us back to reality.

"Listen, my chickens! I will not be ignored!" Ms. Esposito says in annoyance, looking between us and still jostling our shoulders. I nod, tearing my eyes away from Freddie and glancing at her. "Good." She says in relief, straightening her scarf before continuing. "Now, you two are going to lie on the ground like corpses and stay absolutely still. Today we're going to do five minutes and later we build up to longer periods of time." Groaning in disappointment (I had thought we were done for today), I lay down on the floor of the stage, noting that Freddie is doing the same. "Okay, my chickens, five minutes starting…now!" I hear a click, assuming it's a stopwatch of some kind. My eyes are closed and I can't move a muscle for five minutes….and I'm already bored after about thirty seconds. That's when a strong swell of hunger overwhelms me and my stomach growls…loudly. Trying to hold in my laughter, I only manage for a few seconds before I'm rolling around on the ground, laughing so hard that I'm almost crying. I bump into something lightly and open my eyes to see Freddie, also rolling around and laughing. He clutches his stomach, desperate for air.

"Can't breathe….I can't breathe!" He cries desperately, sending me into another fit of laughter. The sound of me laughing sets him off again and we're both crying hysterically with our laughter. The sound of footsteps tapping on the stage forces my eyes to open and look up at the figure.

"What is this? Corpses do not laugh! They just do not!" It's not really the words that Ms. Esposito says, but rather her incredulous tone that forces another laughing fit out of us. "This is ri-di-culous!" The way she pronounces it combined with her frustrated tone makes me laugh even harder, tears coming to my eyes again. "Ay me, I just cannot work when you have laughing fit! We just try again tomorrow, yes?" It wasn't really a question (not that we were in any shape to answer), so she walks away-shaking her head-without waiting for a reply. It felt amazing to just let go and laugh, all the better because it was with Freddie. Not that I would ever admit it, but it had never been as torturous as I complained it was to hang out with Freddie. Even when we were supposed to hate each other.

_Snap out of it Puckett, you know what's going to happen next!_

I immediately push the warning in the thought away but I still feel like something is still off. My laughter fades as this feeling grows stronger and I turn to rest on my right side, a sort of recklessness banishing all common sense. Romeo also calms, turning to lie on his left side so that we're facing each other. He props his head up on his hand and stares down at me, but I'm too lazy to prop my head up like him. Instead I rest my head on the stage and stare up at him, the moment suddenly becoming much more intense than it was a few seconds ago. Romeo inches closer, his hesitant voice breaking the tense silence.

"Juliet." He whispers, his approach entirely natural. My brain processes slowly, finding it much easier to sink into a state of lethargy where I didn't have to wonder where Juliet ended and Sam Puckett began.

If Sam Puckett even existed at this second in time.

It's much simpler not to think at all. Romeo moves closer, leaning his forehead against mine and pausing for a second as if waiting for something. The name leaves my lips automatically, no thought of the consequences or that he could possibly be anyone else.

"Romeo." He closes the remaining distance, his lips brushing mine softly and almost hesitantly. It was probably against some law of nature that a touch so light, no matter how delivered, should be able to force such a complete paradise upon you. I close my eyes, savoring every second of this, and my arms wrap around his neck to pull him closer. He shifts slightly, moving one of his hands to the back of my head and tightening in my hair. A nagging resemblance bugs me despite my best attempts to shove it away and sink into the kiss even more than I already had. Romeo shifts to get closer to me, bringing his other hand to my face and pressing his palm to my cheek, only increasing the heat. Yet my brain struggles through the lethargy to remind me of something (I'm better at forgetting) but it comes back to me with crushing strength. I had kissed this person before…but that was impossible. This was Romeo and I hadn't kissed him before. Romeo is having similar thoughts based on the way his lips stop moving suddenly, just as paralyzed as my lips had become a moment ago. The pressing memory remains, for some reason conjuring images of a fire escape, meatballs, and…a boy. My eyes fly open and I feel Romeo's hand loosen in my hair. We pull away at the same time, blinking in confusion. I notice Freddie for the first time, my eyes widening in sudden realization.

It had tricked me. I had wanted to kiss Freddie so badly that my brain had tricked me into thinking that I was Juliet and he was Romeo…but Freddie had been tricked too. Maybe Ms. Esposito was brainwashing us into becoming our characters, which could be very true from her constant use of our stage names. I can't place the blame solely on her though. The fact that it would be our characters-not us-kissing had been the one reassuring thing that kept me from a minor breakdown earlier. Karma was finally catching up with me…and, as so many people had realized before me, it was a bitch.

Freddie pulls away, carefully entangling his hand from my hair and pulling his palm away from my face.

"Uhh…that was a good...rehearsal." He says awkwardly, looking down at his shoes stiffly. I try not to think that he wishes Carly was playing Juliet, but I've never been much good at lying to myself.

"Yeah." I manage to say evenly, also staring at my converse with intense interest. I couldn't deal with it if things were awkward between us…so I shut out everything and look up with a sarcastic smile. "It's nice to know that I can still do…that…without dying from exposure to nub germs." Freddie looks up, his expression of surprise changing to a small smile when I mention his 'nub germs'.

"Glad to hear it."

And the awkward silence, thick with the desperate attempts of two people (for completely different reasons) trying to force forgetfulness on themselves, returns.

**So...what did you think? Completely suckish or completely Seddie? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**My fav part? Hmm...oddly enough, I enjoyed writing the Romeo and Juliet rehearsal before the kiss...even though the kiss was still pretty fun to write! If you're confused by anything this chapter (I don't know how well I described everything) than feel free to PM me or leave a question in a review! BTW, the poll on my profile is still up, so please make sure you check it out!**

**HUGE thanks to the amazing reviewers that keep me going: ChaosKeks, Readerofwonderfulwriters, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mari13ssa, violet0scar, Castle-of-Bones, Mystapleza, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, coketree20, mygirl1807, soultaker97, Kpfan72491, Romance and Musicals, G, cdthedude, XcrozzybabezX, Flutter360, MultiSeddielover, iMaximumSeddie, Phoenix-chick12, CandyRox12, icecoffee18, JakesWolf54, Lalelis, mirage888, chocolate fish, TaangForeverx, The Littlest Things, and smiley face!**

**TO READEROFWONDERFULWRITERS: Thanks! :)**

**TO G: Glad you liked it! This chapter was another one of those funny/serious chapters that I love to write. :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: I'm not sure what's going to happen with Brian yet (depends on the poll) but your vote has been counted! Sorry again about your acquaintance friend...when I was in middle school I had an acquaintance friend pass away as well and it's a difficult thing to go through.**

**So, that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	38. Karma

**Who's pumped for iStart A Fanwar? I know I am! Anyway, please keep in mind that Sam's mom in my story is COMPLETELY different than the one played by the amazing Jane Lynch on iCarly. Read on...**

Freddie POV 6:10PM Day 11

"I need to go." Sam says, nodding absently as she gets to her feet. "Yeah, I need to go home." I stand; doing my best to fill the awkward like Sam was attempting to do.

"Oh!" I blurt, wincing at my slightly desperate tone. Sam turns back to me slightly, her eyes carefully focused on the floor. "My…uh…my gym. It's on Hamner and Cordova, right by the Skybucks. How about 7:30?" I suggest, also turning my eyes to the ground.

"That's fine. See ya then." Sam's voice seems half-way normal now and I glance up to see her small smile. "Dork." I don't react, watching her make her way up the aisle and out of the theater in an almost dream state. I had kissed Sam Puckett for the second time…and lived. That is, if my heart stopped racing and I could get over the sudden oxygen debt forcing me to pull desperately for breath, I would live. The next second, the door on the opposite side of the theater opens.

"Hey Freddie." Carly calls, scaring the chiz out of me. I search for her, squinting against the bright lights. She waves as she walks up to me and I shift my weight from one foot to the next nervously. My palms sweat, still missing the feel of Sam. I can't keep thinking like this because, one way or another, it wasn't going to end well.

"Oh…hey Carly. How long were you gone?" I say, mortified that anyone may have seen Sam and I like that. They would think that there was something between us…and there wasn't. The strangest thing had come over me and it was like I _was_ Romeo that it was only natural to kiss Juliet…Sam. My heart gives a particularly painful contraction and I shudder convulsively.

"I left for the bathroom about ten minutes ago but it took forever to find that creepy janitor and get him to open the door. You were laughing too spastically to notice me leaving." She pauses, chuckling. "Oh, yes. Watching you and Sam was _extremely _enlightening." She says it almost carelessly, like she knows something I don't. I was just happy that she hadn't stayed for an extra ten minutes…that would have been a little hard to explain. Carly walks up the stairs to the stage, pulling something out of her purse. Catching my relieved expression at her last words, but interpreting it as something else, she rolls her eyes. "Cool it, Romeo. I know you're just going to give me something about how it was all acting and blah blah blah. This," She holds up the paper before continuing. "is something that I'm supposed to read to you because Sam didn't want to do it herself." It was just acting, nothing big. I hadn't kissed Sam, I was kissed Juliet. Continuing to repeat these reassurances to myself, I struggle to keep my voice normal.

"Too lazy?" I guess, remembering how she wouldn't even prop her head on her arm. Goosebumps that have nothing to do with cold raise on my arms at the memory and I have to shake myself mentally to bring my focus to Carly's response.

"Ummm…not quite. I would say embarrassment may have been the key motivator." I take a step closer, starting to dread what was on Carly's paper.

"What exactly is that?" I ask cautiously, eyeing the paper like it was about to explode in my face. Which, I guess (at least metaphorically), it probably will.

"Rules," Carly says reluctantly, eyeing me with sympathy. "for kissing."

I can't help but think it's a few minutes too late.

Sam POV 6:35PM Day 11

I'm still numb, caught somewhere between embarrassment and self-loathing. Why had I kissed him? Better question: why did I have to fall for him? I had seen what it did to you firsthand, the part that they don't tell you about until you've already fallen too far to let go of the person you're in love with. Except I've always known. Well, almost always. Yet I had still fallen from someone, the fact only made worse because it was Freddie Benson, one of my best (and only) friends. Go ahead and double your losses while you're at it, Puckett. I open the door to our house, blocking out my thoughts so I could listen carefully. The clink of bottles and a loud belch tell me all I need to know. Mom was back from god knows where and was in the process of getting drunk with god knows who. Closing the door silently behind me, I creep towards the stairs silently, carefully avoiding trash that was strewn across the floor. Unfortunately (as if today wasn't already bad enough), my mom chooses this moment to walk through the narrow hallway. She stops in surprise when she sees me and I freeze, knowing what's going to happen next. It always goes like this.

"Melanie!" She drops the beer bottle and rushes over to envelop me in a tight hug. She swings me back and forth, the force of her happiness starting to hurt me. I wait, knowing what's going to happen next. It always goes like this. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming to visit? I would have set up _her_ bed for you and let _her _have the couch! Oh, I missed-."

"I'm Sam." I say, grimacing when her arms immediately drop away from me and she takes a step back.

"Oh." I wince at that word, wondering how two letters could carry so much hate and disappointment. She retrieves her beer bottle off of the floor, ignoring the stain that has formed on the carpet, before looking at me. I'm lucky today, her glare more of a grimace that a direct look of hatred. "Get Melanie on the phone. You can handle that, right?" Her tone is condescending, but instead of the angry rise that anybody else would have gotten out of me for the very same words, I only feel the same guilt that I've lived with for five long years. I just don't think about it, shying away from anything that reminded me of it so that I never have to think about. I'm very good at forgetting.

"Sure." I say easily, ignoring when she purposely drives her shoulder into mine on her way to the kitchen. Opening my backpack, I take out my cell phone and dial Melanie's number. I roll my eyes when she answers on the first ring.

"Omigosh Sam, you haven't called in three weeks! THREE WEEKS! Did you get my birthday message? I sent you one but I didn't get one so maybe you just forgot." Yeah Mel, I TOTALLY forgot your birthday. "Anyway, I met this really cute guy!" I groan internally but force a half-interested grunt. "His name is Nick and he plays football and he let me wear his jersey and he-." I tune her out, knowing exactly what would happen. Mel would get too clingy for this Nick kid and he'd break up with her. She hadn't always been the clingy type, but now she had her reasons. "So, what's up?" She chatters, talking so fast that I hardly have time to process her words.

"Yeah, happy belated birthday or whatever. Mom wants to talk to you. I think she wants us to promise again." I say, leaning against the hallway wall. Melanie sighs, pausing before answering.

"Okay, put her on." She says in defeat, bracing herself for the worst.

"Wait, can you also figure out where she's been this week?" I hated asking, but I knew that my mom wasn't going to tell me anything.

"Of course!" Melanie says, bubbly again. I roll my eyes, stepping into the kitchen where my mom is yelling at Frothy.

"The fridge is empty AGAIN! It's your turn to do the grocery shopping this week you useless sonofa-." I step in front of the cowering Frothy, interrupting her.

"Mom, it's Melanie." I hold out the phone and she glares at me.

"Took you long enough!" She spits at me before putting the phone to her ear and exiting the kitchen.

"Oh, there's my sweet baby girl! I've missed you so much." She pauses and I sigh, picking up Frothy. He's still shaking with fear and I brush him softly, making comforting noises.

"You missed me too? That's why you're my favorite daughter!" She's said that so many times that I can't help but wonder if Melanie could do anything to change her favorite daughter status…not that she had much competition in the first place. Mom is in the living room by now and I hear the TV flick on.

"I went to Vegas with Antonio. You know how I am around Italian guys." She laughs loudly and I hear the thud of her setting her beer on the coffee table. I continue to stroke Frothy and he slowly calms until he's purring softly. "No, I dumped him. He wasn't as good as him either." Her voice is sad now, reverting to the stage of heartbreak that she's been going through for the last five years. She's never going to find anyone as good as him. A lump forms in my throat at the thought and Frothy snuggles into me, sensing my guilt and regret. I shy away from any thoughts about it, remembering my vow to never even think of it again.

"When's the last time that I made you promise?" Mom asks softly. I put Frothy down and he begins to groom himself. Knowing that she's going to want me in a second, I head towards the living room with slow steps.

"A month? Promise me again." My mom's voice is getting louder and louder as I approach the living room.

"That's my girl. Now hold on for one minute." I guess that she covers the phone with her hand and her tone suddenly becomes cold and condescending. "SAM!" She screeches and I wince, covering my ears as I step into the room. "Oh, there you are." Her tone is that of one who's found someone that they didn't really want to find in the first place but are forced to look for. "Even though you deserve every ounce of pain that comes with it, promise me." The guilt and regret strengthen and I know that the almost prophetic promise I had made many times, was going to haunt me. I didn't want to be in love but I had fallen hook, line, and sinker for karma's trap. Swallowing the lump in my throat with difficulty, I try to ignore the sudden sense of chilling cold that seeps into my veins.

"I promise." I whisper, staring at the ground.

"Promise what?" My mom's sharp voice comes, stinging me like a whip.

"I promise I'll never fall in love."

Yet my lips are still tingling with the proof that it was already too late.

**Did you see that one coming? If you're beginning to wonder if my goal in life is to completely blindside you with scenes like this, than (however enjoyable it is for me) it's ultimately to make the story better. :)**

**My fav part? Probably the scene with Sam's mom because I got to foreshadow SO MUCH! What was your fav part? Did you not have a fav part because it was so horrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**I owe a HUGE thanks to every single reviewer for helping me reach 700 because I never expected to get there! Thanks to: ChaosKeks, iMaximumSeddie, leodoglover, Mari13ssa, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, CandyRox12, LadyRose12, Mystapleza, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Flutter360, veeheart914, PartyPooper845, Mirage888, JakesWolf54, coketree20, Castle-of-Bones, G, chocolate fish, bella3590, Kpfan72491, SPNAngel16, XcrozzybabezX, icecoffee18, mygirl1807, alwayssmiling11, justjb, MultiSeddielover, Romance and Musicals, omgwtfEmily, TaangForeverx, ober22, seddieroxxmysoxx, and miss molly rae! You are all amazing and really help me stay motivated!**

**TO LADYROSE12: Wow, thanks! When I first thought of this story, I knew that I must try to avoid clinches and I'm doing my best! :)**

**TO G: Was Carly lying to Freddie about going to the bathroom? To be revealed in a few chapters! :)**

**Poll still up in my profile and it's CLOSE so make sure you go vote!**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and I know that review button is looking awfully tempting, so I'll leave you to it!**


	39. Advice

**Are you ready for the Seddie? Read on...**

Freddie POV 6:30PM Day 11

I sit in one of the many plush red seats facing the stage, thinking. Carly had left a few minutes ago after she had read that list to me, leaving only at my insistence that I wanted to be alone. For some reason, the list of rules had calmed me to some degree and I was able to look at the situation logically. Kissing Sam or-more appropriately-Juliet, had been so natural that it almost felt like it had happened before…which it had. I know that Sam hadn't felt it, but when we first kissed before I even knew that I liked her, there was _something_. That was how I had really told Sam and Melanie apart. When Melanie had kissed me, it had been enjoyable and, at first, I was sure it had been Sam. I had gone home after my date with Melanie confused beyond belief and ended up staying awake all night to figure it out: Melanie was real, no doubt about it. Not wanting to give Sam yet _another_ victory over me, I had decided that maintaining my persistent denial of Melanie's existence would be best. I was, to say the least, extremely surprised when Sam had given in so easily. It was almost like she had _wanted _me to think that there was no Melanie. My eyes drift aimlessly until I find the secluded corner of the stage that had only emphasized that Melanie was very real. Only Sam could do that to me.

Shifting restlessly, I try to guide my thoughts in a more productive direction; focusing primarily on what exactly had happened to me earlier. It was impossible to describe what had come over me, but it was almost as if I had slipped effortlessly into another skin. I had become Romeo. There had to be some reason for this extra skin, and I suspected that it was my brain automatically protecting me. Maybe, if I didn't think of Juliet as Sam, it would hurt less. Propping my feet up on the seat in front of me, I wonder for the first time why Sam had so readily become Juliet. Was it because she wasn't thinking straight and was acting on the impulsiveness of Juliet's character? Or was, for some inconceivable reason, she trying to protect herself every bit as much as I was trying to protect myself?

The thought of Sam having to fortify herself before kissing me is so laughable that I actually snort with the ridiculousness of the notion. My humor quickly disappears as I consider Sam's obvious hatred of the whole damsel-in-distress bit. Yet it was still there, the tug of torturous worry in my gut that hadn't been present before I saved her life. Maybe the memory of her slowly turning blue and the feel of the seismic shivers that had racked her body was burned in my brain to the point where I would always feel protective.

"Thinking deeply, Romeo?" The voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I focus on the figure walking up the aisle.

"Hey, Ms. Esposito." I say half-heartedly when I recognize the small stature. She sits next to me, propping her clipboard against her knees.

"Could I ask you for some advice?" I ask suddenly, surprising even myself. I turn to face her and she shifts her gaze to me, shrugging.

"I suppose so." She replies, adjusting her glasses.

"Well…you see there's this guy I know. His name is….Frankie." I finally decide, thinking about the best way to put this. "He has two best friends, Casey and….Samantha." Ms. Esposito nods, urging for me to continue. "Samantha's kind of...abrasive…and rude…and she just…she just..." I fumble looking for the right word to describe it. It's hard to focus through my light-headedness that lingered after the kiss. My heart speeds at the thought, my stomach suddenly dropping out from under me. There was only one word to describe this. "She just makes him crazy!" I blurt out before I can stop myself.

"I see." Ms. Esposito says, nodding again.

"But Frankie always thought that he loved Casey and the last few years he's been realizing that he's in love with Samantha. I mean there are things about her that aren't perfect, but who wants perfect? She makes him feel alive…and maybe that's what he's needed all along." I become aware of the dreamy look on my face for the first time and scramble for cover. "At least, that's what he told me."

"Indeed." Ms. Esposito replies, listening intently.

"Then he suddenly feels like he has to protect her and she's the last person on Earth that needs protecting, but he still feels like he needs to." I pause, suddenly realizing something. "He actually doesn't _need_ to protect her but he _wants_ to. It's so stupid, it's insane." I laugh a little breathlessly. "Right?" I ask, swallowing the lump in my throat as I wait for Ms. Esposito to answer. She slowly seems to be deciding something, and when she does, she finally speaks.

"It is only natural to wish to protect the ones we love. Maybe….is not as misguided as it seems to protect Samantha. Juliet, Sam Puckett is her name, yes?" My heart speeds faster, wondering if I've been caught.

"Si." I answer faintly, waiting to see if she's made the connection.

"Ahh, yes. Some people, like Sam Puckett, almost seem to be overcompensating for something. Well, don't they?" Ms. Esposito says, tapping her fingers on her clipboard. I lean forward in my seat before rocking back again.

"I…I don't know what you mean by…overcompensating." I finally reply, almost dreading the answer.

"Leading studies show that children who lash out in violence at their peers are trying to put up a front of being tough and able to take care of themselves physically, yes? Well, perhaps she is overcompensating for being emotionally scarred. You see, there are two different ways to protect a person: you can protect them physically and make sure that they don't ever break an arm or scrape their knee." Her voice softens to almost a whisper and I have to lean forward to catch her next words. "Or, even more difficult and one of the most difficult tasks to attempt, protect a person emotionally. Maybe Samantha has some childhood disaster that is making her lash out." We sit in silence for awhile, absorbing her words before Ms. Esposito gets to her feet and starts to walk away.

"Oh, and Romeo?" She calls back. I turn to look behind me and watch a smile spread slyly across her face. "There was a very wise man named Pascal that once said 'The heart has its reasons that reason does not know'. So, maybe is not so crazy to love someone if you start to think with your heart instead of your head. You should tell Frankie this." She chuckles and walks away, leaving me alone to my suddenly crowded thoughts.

Sam POV 7:45PM Day 11

I enter the gym that Freddie had given me directions to, scanning around the room for him. It was bigger than I expected, but there were only about twenty people in the room. Half of them were on treadmills, listening to music or chatting while they jogged. Four muscle heads that were probably in their thirties were on some of the bench presses that I passed by, too focused on their training to even notice my presence. I pass by a room that has wooden floors and see two women on mats working on an elaborate yoga pose. Finally, in the far corner of the gym, I see the boxing ring. Two guys, one in blue mitts and blue headgear, the other in red mitts and red headgear were circling each other carefully. The guy in red mitts suddenly makes a move and lands a punch on the blue guy's stomach before he can block it. I shift my attention to the two people watching the match. Anxiety that I hadn't known existed faded away and I relaxed for the first time since the kiss. It was startling how something that was the stuff of nightmares a few hours ago is suddenly a pleasant memory…one of my best memories. I cringe, pushing away the forbidden paradise. Yet the feel of _his _lips is still tangible and, just as after the first time, it was going to be a very long time before it would fade. I shake the thought, stubbornly clinging to normalcy as I stroll forward slowly, listening in on Freddie and the other guy.

"…was supposed to be here fifteen minutes ago, but she's always late." Freddie was saying to a short guy with close cropped gray hair. I take the opportunity to slap Freddie on the back. Hard. Ignoring the sharp spike of awareness that had practically electrocuted my hand, I greet Freddie as only Sam Puckett can.

"There you are Fredifer! Ready to get your ass kicked?" I ask, smirking when he reaches to rub his back, wincing. The guy that was talking to Freddie turns to study me with interest. I notice that his eyes are two different colors, the right one a baby blue and the other one a dark brown.

"This is her?" He asks Freddie, turning his mismatched eyes away from me. Freddie glances at me, seemingly tongue tied, probably because he wasn't sure how to explain I wasn't Carly. I decide to answer for him instead of letting my attention be caught up in looking at him. There was no telling what impulsive thing I would do once I had to look at his lips again.

"Oh, no. I'm not Carly." I tell the old guy, forcing a smile. He scrunches his eyebrows together, confused.

"Who's Carly? Freddie's only ever mentioned a -." Freddie's expression turns to one of panic and he claps the guy on the arm, cutting him off.

"Thanks, Vern. Can you get Bobby and Chris out of there so we can go?" Vern looks at Freddie suspiciously, his eyes darting back to me before he nods and ducks under the ropes to referee the last few minutes of the fight. I turn to Freddie, really looking at him for the first time since I got here. He's wearing a pair of black soccer style shorts and a blue muscle shirt, and I can't force myself to look away from him. I still remembered the Wahoo punch incident from last week and would be lying if I hadn't thought about it…often.

"Staring is very rude, Puckett." Freddie says, forcing my eyes up to focus on his face. He tuts sarcastically and I punch his arm hard enough for a slight sting.

"I was just thinking how lucky you are that you'll have a career in the circus when your other options fall through." I taunt, gratified when Freddie's cocky expression fades.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asks stupidly, looking at me in confusion.

"I'd call you an idiot, but it would be an insult to all the idiots in the world." I fire back. Freddie scowls at this before his face lights up in understanding.

"Are you trash talking?" He asks, smirking at me like he's discovered some big secret. I spread my arms and give him a face that clearly says _duh!_

"Oh, well than you're a…a…" He hesitates, trying to find an insult. I decide to mock him, just a little bit, and I motion with my hand to tell him to hurry up. He glares at me, but eventually finds an insult. "-blond headed demon!" I roll my eyes and put my hands on my hips.

"The point of an insult is to offend me, not to tell me something I already know." Pause for emphasis. "Stubrag." I tease, laughing when he sticks his tongue out at me childishly. Vern decides this is the opportune moment to come over to us.

"Alrighty, here's your gear. He hands me the red mitts, red headgear, and (you guessed it) a new red mouthpiece that was still in the plastic. Vern gives Freddie his gear (it's all blue) and walks away to go talk to one of the muscle heads.

"C'mon." Freddie says, reaching out to grab my arm and pulling me towards a bench. "Why are you all smiley?" He asks as we sit down. I hadn't even noticed I had started to smile the second he touched my arm. I shrug, pulling on my red headgear.

"Mama could use a win right now." I say, laughing softly at Freddie's grimace.

"Oh, Sam wait a sec before you put your mitts on." I turn to him to ask why when I feel his fingers on my neck. I freeze, my heart skipping a few beats at the flush of heat. "Sorry." He murmurs, his fingers still trailing along my neck. I watch him carefully, noticing the faint tint in his cheeks. Was he blushing? Then his fingers find what they're looking for and he pulls a strap that tightens the headgear. He pulls away slowly, no doubt curious of what the hell was wrong with me. "Can you do me now?" Freddie asks softly, pointing at the strap on his neck.

"Uh huh." I murmur, my brain still barely functioning. Reaching forward, I force my fingers to be steady, accidentally brushing against his neck. I don't apologize, listening to his sharp intake of breath. He's probably worried that I'm going to choke him, but I decide not to, instead fixing the strap like he had requested. I pull my hands away as soon as I'm finished, focusing on putting in my mouthpiece so that I don't have to talk to him in my undoubtedly shaky voice. Vern heads over to us, looking between us.

"Okay, just have to check everything…" He trails off, shifting Freddie's headgear to make sure that it's tight. Freddie puts in his mouthpiece, his eyes unfocused. Vern hands Freddie his gloves and waits for him to put them on before he checks to make sure that they're tightened correctly. He nods once, patting Freddie on the back before turning to me. He taps and pulls my headgear this way and that, making sure that it's tight. When he's done, he checks my mitts and nods before stepping away. "Alright, we're good to go. Freddie in that corner," He gestures at the furthest corner from us. "and Sam in that corner." Freddie gets up and I follow him, jerking him to a stop by his arm.

"How does he know my name?" I hiss under my breath, leaning in close to him so that he could hear. Freddie rubs his arm and looks somewhere between embarrassment and guilt.

"I may have mentioned you a few times." He admits, walking to his corner quickly before I can stop him. Why the hell would Freddie have mentioned me at his gym? I head to my corner, shutting out any confusing thoughts and throwing a few jabs at the air in front of me. This was going to be fun.

**My fav part? Probably Ms. Esposito's advice. What was your fav part? Did you not have a favorite part because it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to the most AMAZING reviewers on all of fanfiction: ober22, MultiSeddielover, alwayssmiling11, mirage888, chocolate fish, omgwtfEmily, PartyPooper845, HolyCrowe, Castle-of-Bones, coketree20, veeheart914, Romance and Musicals, G, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Mystapleza, smiley face, iMaximumSeddie, Lalelis, Kpfan72491, Lanter, ChaosKeks, XcrozzybabezX, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, miss molly rae, leodoglover, brasskid72, Jesse, mygirl1807, bella3590, The Littlest Things, Daring to Hope, and icecoffee18! **

**TO G: Glad you liked it! Hope this chapter was just as good! :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: I want to see the movie you based your challenge off of! It looks so cute! :)**

**TO JESSE; Maybe, as Ms. Esposito seems to think this chapter, a childhood disaster made Sam and Sam's mom the way they are. You'll have to keep reading to figure it out! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	40. Dr Frednub

**Happy Halloween! Read on...**

Freddie POV 8:10PM Day 11

I'm going to die. Sure, Sam and I were friends (depending on her mood), but she had no problem beating someone up if the opportunity presented itself. Plus, she hadn't been able to terrorize anyone at school for almost two weeks and she was sure to have some excess anger. I watch Vern hold up the cow bell that the gym kept to indicate the different rounds. He brings it down almost in slow motion, the ringing sound echoing strangely. I shift my gaze to Sam, watching her charge forward in the same slow motion. My thoughts suddenly flashback to the time that Carly had fought Shelby Marx and the technique that had stopped her from getting facial reconstruction. A hard blow lands on the side of my head and I grunt at the stunning impact. Before Sam can get me again, I put up my guard and block a jab at my gut. I look down, fear coursing through me, and catch sight of Sam's leg. Sam lands a punch on my chest but I don't let the blow stun me, instead ducking underneath her next jab that was meant for my head and latching onto her leg. We're both wearing mouthpieces so it's difficult to speak, but Sam looks down at me in surprise.

_What the hell, Benson?_ Her eyes clearly say, growing stormy with anger. She shakes her leg, trying to get me off, but I only lean into her leg more. Before I realize that I've overcompensated and tripped her, Sam falls to the mat next me. I'm still wrapped tightly around one of her legs, her other leg pinned under me. There's a long second where we both take stock of our positions before Sam sits up quickly and catches me in a headlock before I can react. I release her leg and clutch at the arm that's choking me, loosening my gloves and throwing them away so I may actually have a shot of fighting her off. Sam, seeing that I've thrown my gloves away, does likewise, but is carefully maintains her headlock so I can't get away. Desperately trying to escape, I do the only thing I can think of: I throw an elbow. It hits Sam in the stomach and I feel her relax in shock that I had actually fought back. I take the second to twist out of her headlock and crawl away from her, trying to get to safety. Sam recovers quickly, tackling me from behind and twisting my arm behind me painfully. I bellow in pain and thrash beneath her, by some stroke of luck bucking her off my back and onto the mats next to me. The fall knocks the wind out of her and I react before she can get me in some other painful position. She starts to rise to a sitting position but I grab her wrists and fight her for control. Trying to gain leverage, I straddle her and she suddenly stops fighting. Her eyes widen and she stares at me, stunned. My face flushes, embarrassed beyond belief but also because of the heat, more potent than ever before, that flooded through me. It doesn't help that we're both panting by now, exhausted with the fight, and it only seems to make the situation that much more compromising. I lock eyes with Sam, the heat that burned through me becoming something softer at the look on her face. She seems almost accepting, allowing this poison to continue for the second it takes to fill me with the strangest sense of peace and well-being. The realization hits me with paralyzing strength, drawing me closer to her gravitational pull. I wanted to kiss her.

Sam finally recovers, taking advantage of my state of relaxed peace and throwing me off of her. Before I can fight back, Sam straddles my stomach and the feeling of heavenly calm returns. She looks at me strangely, wondering why I wasn't fighting to get her off of me. Embarrassed at being caught in the act, I oblige and try to push her off of me. Sam resists, grabbing my wrists and attempting to shove my arms to the mat. I strain against her grip on me, trying to resist the insistent pull to look up at her and failing miserably. Her face is scrunched up, intent on her goal of beating me, but my gaze seems to force her eyes on me. I freeze, breathless once again by the unpredictable beauty of her eyes. Sam maintains her push on my hands, but her eyes are just so open and I notice that her walls are weakening. That's when my head floods with memories.

_You need to lose that boxing match today. _Carly had told me this morning. My arms weaken and I give an inch to Sam.

_Well, perhaps she is overcompensating for being emotionally scarred._ Ms. Esposito. I give three inches.

_My dad did it when I was little, before-._ Sam. I stop fighting completely, my arms hitting the mats and she holds it for a few seconds before getting off of me. I stand, my mind still very far away.

"Oh yeah, in your face Benson! Mama wins!" Sam calls triumphantly, drawing laughs from the people still left in the gym. She dances around me happily; completely oblivious to the connection I'd just made. But what had happened to Sam's dad? I'm literally pushed out of my thoughts when Sam puts me in a headlock and gives me a good-natured noogie. "Nice try, Fredweird, but you'll NEVER beat me." She whispers in my ear, her breath tickling me. I wonder how the feel of her breath on my ear can give me goose bumps, but somehow it does.

"Yeah, yeah rub it in Puckett." I mumble under my breath, barely loud enough for her to hear. She laughs and I jump when I feel her hand push against my chest, over my heart.

"Don't worry, I plan on it." She whispers in my ear, causing me to shiver. Her fingers grip my shirt and I try to shift around to look at her, but her headlock is too tight. "God, your heart sounds like a hummingbird." Sam murmurs, almost to herself, pushing her hand against my chest and straining to feel my heart beat through the fabric. Her touch promptly makes my heart skip a beat and she doesn't miss it. "What was that?" She releases me out of her headlock, focused on figuring out what was wrong with my heartbeat.

"Really, Sam, it's fine." I insist half-heartedly, the feeling of well-being leaving me when she pulls her hand away.

"Don't be stupid." She murmurs quietly before glancing up at me and smirking. "Besides, I don't think your mommy would _ever_ forgive me if I didn't figure out why you're skipping heartbeats." I roll my eyes, opening my mouth to answer but freezing before I get the chance to. Sam presses her ear to my chest, no doubt hearing how much my pulse is picking up.

"Geez Fredhead, what the hell?" She asks, pulling away to look up at me in confusion. My cheeks color in embarrassment but, determined not to let the embarrassment be solely mine, I grab Sam's wrist. Trying to ignore to shock of awareness and how my heart picks up (again), I feel around until I find her pulse. Sam is surprisingly silent, not exactly cooperating with me, but not pushing me away either. Maybe she's just waiting it out to see what I'm doing first. I find her pulse and close my eyes, counting silently. I shake my head when I finish counting the minute, gripping her wrist tighter and trying to figure out how I had messed up because there was no way her heart was beating that fast. Almost automatically, I drift forward, feeling Sam's heart stutter before starting even faster than before. My eyes blink open, taking in the blond a foot from my face.

"I must be counting wrong." I murmur, my eyes sucked helplessly into hers. I'm just glad that I can form a coherent thought under the weight of Sam's gaze. I release her wrist, noticing how she lets it fall limply to her side and blinks like she's coming out of a trance. "Uhh…can I try your neck? I might be able to get a better read." I ask awkwardly, extremely surprised when Sam nods faintly. Slowly, carefully watching for any hint that she's changed her mind, I step closer and gently place two of my fingers just below her jaw. I pull away slightly when she shivers, trying not to look her in the eye but failing miserably.

"Your hands are warm." Sam explains, careful to keep her eyes trained on something that was not me. I frown, looking down at my hand. Sam's skin hadn't felt cold to me. No, for some reason, it was soothing half the time and pure heat the other half. I still hadn't gotten immune to it, not even close. I was starting to fear that I never would.

"Oh…sorry." I apologize, searching her eyes for something that would tell me that she didn't want to touch her again. Not finding anything, I take a deep breath and slide my fingers under her jaw again. She flinches, shying away from my fingers and I pull away a tiny bit. I raise my eyebrows, wondering if she's okay. Sam nods, swallowing before stepping closer again. My fingers gently push against her jaw and I notice that she's not even paying attention anymore, instead focusing on some of the muscle heads behind me. I count slowly, taking in every one of her features desperately, knowing that I may not get another opportunity like this for a while. I blink, realizing that the minute is over. Sam turns back to face me, watching me nervously, but her voice doesn't betray any of this.

"So what's the diagnosis, Dr. Frednub?" She asks sarcastically, smirking at me. Yet the hint of nervousness never leaves her eyes, so the sly grin that stretches across my face seems entirely natural. Her smirk fades, her apprehension showing clearly now. I lean down, my lips inches from her ear, and breathe my verdict to her.

"Hummingbird."

Freddie POV 2:43AM Day 12

I wake up suddenly, almost jumping out of bed and onto the floor. Rubbing my eyes sleepily, I squint at my bedside clock, groaning when I see how early in the morning it was. It hadn't been a dream to wake me, mostly because I hadn't had a dream in a whole week, but almost out of habit my body had woke me up to go over to see Sam. I sling the pillow over to cover my face, trying to hold onto the sleep that had almost completely disappeared. After a minute or two of this, I groan as I come to the realization that I'm wide awake, no chance of sleep. Pushing the pillow away, I rise into a sitting position and lean against my headboard. After our 'boxing' match, Sam and I had gone to Carly's and spent a few hours brainstorming ideas for the next iCarly. When I finally got home, my mom had been weird, oddly distant and almost resentful. I had tried to figure out what her problem was but hadn't had any luck. Maybe I'd go to Carly's for a few minutes right now…I better bring my camera just in case. Picking up my flip camera carefully (it was a pain to go all the way up the studio to lug that huge camera around), I grab a bobby pin and sneak through my apartment silently. Closing the door silently behind me, I turn to the door across the hall and pick the lock quickly. I open Carly's door slowly, wincing when it squeaks in the silence. The TV's off tonight and I'm lost without the faint glow to guide me. Standing perfectly still, I allow my eyes to adjust before stepping forward and looking down at Sam. She's sprawled across the couch like usual, her trusty plaid blanket draped over her. A few ringlets of hair fall across her face, her chest rising and falling in time with her steady breaths. It's amazing that the sight of her even breaths seems to take my breath away. I shake my head, scolding myself and hesitantly lean down to poke her. Pausing an inch before I make contact with her stomach, I'm suddenly nervous for the kick or punch that would soon be coming my way. But it _had _really bothered Sam the last time I had woke her up by laying on her. I take a deep breath and prepare to shield myself, finally pushing my finger the extra inch.

**Cliffe! I just noticed that this whole chapter is Freddie...next week's chapter will have Sam's POV too! My fav part? I love Dr. Frednub...I felt so accomplished when I came up with it! xD What was your fav part? Did you not have a fav part because it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to all of the amazing reviewers: iMaximumSeddie, ChaosKeks, xx-SamxFreddie-xx,DelenaSeddieLuv, leodoglover, ober22, violet0scar, ascended ancient, alwayssmiling11, PartyPooper845, Ivyheart, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, Doctordozen, Gabsikle, Mari13ssa, brasskid72, coketree20, Mystapleza, mirage888, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, chocolate fish, G, Romance and Musicals, MultiSeddielover, omgwtfEmily, Kpfan72491, iAdoreSeddie, mygirl1807, seddieroxxmysoxx, smileyface, bella3590, miss molly rae, The Littlest Things, and icecoffee18!**

**TO IVYHEART: Don't even worry about it! I know firsthand how busy school can get. :)**

**TO G: Yeah, I'm trying to work on condensing the scenes but there's just so much to write!**

**TO SMILEYFACE: I like your new challenge and I'll update ASAP but I'm super busy this weekend! Glad that Ms. Esposito is always good for a laugh! :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and I'll just leave you and that review button alone now... xD**


	41. Hate You Too

**Are you ready for the Seddie? Read on...**

Sam POV 3:18AM Day 12

A sudden pressure on my stomach brings me back from deep sleep. I'm less alert than usual, missing the benefit of half awareness that I would usually have had if I had been dreaming and my knee automatically flies up in defense, slamming into something. A familiar voice gives a sharp cry of pain, accompanied by the sound of someone collapsing to the floor. I bolt up, my eyes shooting open as I instinctively roll towards the sounds I had heard. Still caught in partial sleep, I forget that I'm on a couch and roll off the side. My arms reach out reflexively to break my face-first fall, but instead I land on something soft. Whatever I've landed on seems to have had the wind knocked out of it, sucking in air desperately. I blink, closing my eyes sleepily, and try to figure out what I'm laying on. It's very warm, whatever it is, sending an odd type of heat through me that I can't identify through my sleep haze. Yet it also somehow feels safe, a kind of relaxant that makes me want to close my eyes and never open them again. I slide my hands over whatever my head is resting on, tracing the warm fabric beneath my fingertips. It's soft, like cotton, and very comfortable to lie on. Inhaling deeply, I freeze, the heat in me suddenly increasing to the point where I don't think I could move even if I wanted to. Cinnamon and vanilla, of course.

"Saaaammm." Freddie groans beneath me, stretching out my name and making his chest rumble beneath my head. Panicking now, I place my hands on his chest almost gingerly, the soft fabric suddenly seeming forbidden. Freddie groans in pain again and I push off of his chest to get away, almost tripping in my haste. Free of my weight, Freddie rolls around on the ground, alternating between groaning in pain and gasping for air. My breathing isn't as stable as it should be and my heart is pumping so much blood to my head that it almost hurts. It slowly comes back to me that I had kneed something when I had woken up. My eyes have finally adjusted enough for me to see _what_ exactly Freddie is holding through his galaxy wars PJ bottoms. The rush of concern comes first, followed by a severe urge to laugh. I decide to compromise, walking over to lean against the coffee table.

"So…" I begin conversationally, folding my arms across my chest. "I guess there won't be any little Freddies anytime soon, huh?" Freddie stops rolling around, leaning on his side to glare up at me. He's still clutching himself but at least he has his breath back.

"Not funny, Puckett." He growls under his breath, clearly pissed. I roll my eyes, looking away to trace circles on the coffee table. My fingertips were numb, the feel of cotton lingering. Freddie continues to take deep breaths but at least he's not rolling around anymore.

"You know, it's only fun to cause you pain when I'm completely conscious to enjoy the experience." I finally say, breaking the long silence. I feel Freddie's eyes rest on me, his gaze burning with its intensity. Reluctantly, I look up from the circles I had been drawing and meet his eyes. I'm immediately pulled under, helplessly lost in chocolate. The angry lines on his face have softened into something of concern. He gets up, propping his back against the couch so that he could face me.

"You could just tell me. I mean, you don't have to, but it would be easier and-" He shifts, wincing. "-less painful for the both of us." Freddie's eyes beg me, almost pulling the answer out of me. I swallow the lump in my throat, somehow managing to look away. The memories swarm around the edges of my consciousness and I squeeze my eyes shut, pushing them all away.

"Why are you here?" Freddie's face falls when I don't tell him, trying to hide his disappointment by looking at the ground. He pulls the flip camera out of his pocket, holding it up for me to see.

"Wake Up Spencer?" He offers, still not looking at me. I look back at him, staring at the pattern of Nug-Nug's on his pajama bottoms. When I don't answer right away, he switches his focus to me again. I raise my eyebrows, pointing at his Galaxy Wars nubbineness. "Uh…whatcha got there, Fredwad?" I ask, laughing when he raises his voice in indignation.

"So what if I like Galaxy Wars!" He gestures at my purple pajama top before continuing. "You've got a t-shirt from the meat hall of fame!" I get to my feet, the heady feeling of being able to tower over him for once overwhelming me.

"Hey, don't bash Mama's meats unless you want me to kick you where it counts _again._" I threaten, annoyed that he had the audacity to insult what had been my favorite vacation destination as a kid. Freddie cowers at the thought, curling up in a ball to protect himself.

"Okay, okay just leave me alone Sam!" He begs, eyeing me carefully. I falter, part of me hating the fear in his voice and the other part relishing it. People that were afraid of you couldn't force you to trust them. Shaking my head to clear it, I sink down to sit on the coffee table again. Freddie notices this and sits up, breathing a sigh of relief.

"So, did you want to do that Wake Up Spencer?" He tries again, holding up the flip camera. A faint smile crosses my face at his determination and, knowing that I won't be able to go back to sleep anyway, I agree.

"Sure, Freddifer." He grins and tries to stand up, his smile suddenly a grimace.

"Sam, I hate you." Freddie mutters, struggling to get to his feet. I smile even wider, getting to my feet and gripping both of his wrists tightly. Strangely, it's the sense of security that makes my face flush instead of the heat that accompanies it. He looks up at me in shock, surprised that I would help him. I roll my eyes, hauling him to his feet easily. Except I underestimate my strength and accidently pull Freddie too far. He crashes into me, my muscles tensing with the almost electric shock that runs through me at the feel of him. Trying to pull away as quickly as possible, I stumble and bump into the coffee table hard. It hits me below my knees and they buckle, the floor approaching swiftly. Warm hands pull on my wrists, saving me from the fall and pulling me back into Freddie's chest. It's the same exact position as when we were rehearsing earlier: Freddie leaning down and pressing his forehead against mine, only this time it's to compensate for my momentum. I'm pressed completely into his chest, his hands on my wrists pulled between us. I inhale deeply almost involuntarily, taking in the cinnamon and vanilla with closed eyes. Just another few inches…. My eyes snap open, the distance between our lips entirely too far. Instinctually leaning forward, I freeze an inch before his lips, the sudden tightening in my stomach reminding me that I was supposed to be over him.

It was impossible, proof enough in the safety from his touch. If it was merely heat, I could convince myself that I would get over him eventually. This safety is anything but safe.

"Hate you too." Freddie's eyes widen in surprise at my soft tone and I try to pull away, successfully moving my forehead away from his but not able to move my chest from him. His arms are wrapped tightly around my waist, pushing me into him. My cheeks color an even deeper red and I look down in the hope that he won't see. The searing heat burns through my veins, affecting every single one of my body functions, especially my ability to muster a coherent thought. "Umm." I say stupidly, staring at the ground. Freddie seems to notice his arms around my waist for the first time, loosening them and allowing me enough room to push away from his chest. I shiver the second I pull away from his warm touch, not realizing that I had been cold at all. Freddie's eyes burn into me and I'm filled with a desire to just forget this little episode even happened. "Wake Up Spencer?" I ask, gesturing towards Spencer's room. Freddie bobs his head quickly, pulling the flip camera out again. I follow him into Spencer's room, desperately trying to hold onto any trace of my dignity or sanity. Even though I'll probably fail on both counts.

"Alright, here we go Sam. In 5, 4, 3, 2."

Freddie POV 3:48AM Day 12

"Okay…" Sam starts, whispering just loud enough for the camera to hear.

"…here we are…" I say quietly, swiveling the camera around Spencer's room until I find the clock. Sam stands away from me, careful not to make any contact. I don't blame her one bit, considering the awkwardness that had been the last half hour of our lives. It had almost looked like she was leaning closer…but that was probably because Romeo and Juliet had threatened to take us both over again.

"…at 3:50 in the morning…" Sam continues before I switch the view back to Spencer's bed.

"…with the one and only…" She leans forward and I shift the camera angle so the audience can't see her.

"..SPENCER!" We scream, laughing when Spencer jumps about a foot in the air and gives a shout of surprise.

"W..where am I?" He asks sleepily, squirming under the covers.

"Thou impertinent ill-breeding ratsbane!" I yell, pretending to be insulted. Sam bursts out laughing and I smile at the sound.

"Shakespeare?" She whispers, still laughing under her breath. I nod, shushing her and pointing at Spencer.

"I don't…what's going on?" He asks in confusion, sitting up in bed but still mostly asleep.

"Thou spongy half-faced lewdster!" Sam says in fake anger, almost falling to the ground in silent laughter when she finishes.

"What on earth is a lewdster?" I whisper, keeping the camera pointed at Spencer's confused daze. Sam looks up at me and shrugs, her eyes sparkling with laugher. The colors shift, deepening to an almost sapphire blue and I can't help but smile.

"I'm not a silly full-forced rooster." Spencer finally says, his eyes still closed tightly. Sam nudges me lightly with her arm, rising unintended goose bumps as she prompts me.

"Thou tottering milk-livered whey-face!" I yell at Spencer, not even trying to contain my laughter now. Sam actually does fall to the ground now, rolling around and clutching her stomach.

"I don't speak Shakespeare!" Spencer cries in consternation, throwing his pillow off the bed and onto the floor. He suddenly freezes, thinking of something. "But I do know people that do!" He cries in triumph. Sam, wiping tears of laughter out of her eyes, gets to her feet before throwing another insult at him.

"Thou villainous fool-born miscreant! Whom could thy possibly know of that would speaketh Shakespeare?" She challenges, erupting into silent laughter when Spencer looks around sleepily.

"I know Romeo and Juliet." Spencer says, his eyes flicking around under his closed eyelids. I feel Sam freeze next to me, but I don't see anything wrong his statement. Besides, how could he possibly know an imaginary couple that only existed in movies and plays?

"How do thou knoweth Romeo and Juliet for thou are not but a puny knotty-pated hugger-mugger?" I zoom the camera in on Spencer's face, laughing even harder at his confused expression. Sam isn't laughing for some reason, still frozen behind me. I turn to her, wondering what's wrong with her, when Spencer answers.

"They're my little sister's….my little sister's best friends." Spencer yawns hugely before continuing. "S…Sam and Freddie." He chuckles, still mostly asleep. "They can't see anything because they're so...so stubborn." Spencer gives another sleep laugh, collapsing onto the pillows. "Love makes you blind like…like a bat…or a panda." He murmurs to himself, his observations strangely hypnotizing for their perceptiveness. Spencer suddenly gives a giggle, like a little kid that's about to reveal something forbidden. "They say that they don't want to kiss but they've already done it before so what's the big deal? Pandas don't lie about love, so why should they get to?" He gives another giggle, slowly sinking down into the pillows again. He mutters something about a goldfish named Skipper before snores fill the room the next second. I know why Sam hadn't been laughing earlier now. I'm similarly frozen, pointing the camera at the sleeping Spencer for a minute before realizing that he was really asleep. I stop recording quickly, deciding that I would have to blow this off or nothing would ever be the same between Sam and I again. It isn't the first time today that our dynamic has been challenged.

"Wow, Spencer gets confused sometimes." I say, laughing-half heartedly. Sam nods slowly, her eyes staring at something very far away before snapping back to the present.

"Definitely." Sam laughs, but it doesn't sound completely genuine. We both look down, the awkwardness in the air unbearable. "I'm hungry." Sam announces, breaking the uncomfortable silence. I roll my eyes, smirking at her and easily falling into our banter.

"Do you ever stop eating?" I ask, folding my arms across my chest. Sam is already almost out Spencer's door but she turns back and flashes me a dazzling smile. My brain stalls, overwhelmed, and I lose any hope of articulate thought.

"If I ever do then you know that something is terribly, horribly wrong."

**My fav part? Writing Shakespearean insults was VERY fun, and there was a lot of funny lines in here too. What was your fav part? Did you not have a fav part because it was so terrible? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**I owe a HUGE thanks to all the reviewers that helped me reach 800 because it really does mean a lot: leodoglover, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Castle-of-Bones, ober22, iMaximumSeddie, DelenaSeddieLuv, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, coketree20, smileyface, ChaosKeks, iAdoreSeddie, Seddielovergrl, Mari13ssa, mirage888, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, chocolate fish, MultiSeddielover, withflyingcolors, cdthedude, Kpfan72491, bella3590, SunnyRose, TheGrapeTyphlosion, Romance and Musicals, omgwtfEmily, Mistress of the strange, g, brasskid72, icecoffee18, The Littlest Things, miss molly rae, violet0scar, BeautifulDreamerx, Seddiegirl, Doctordozen, EllyWrites, Anonymous, Person, Pillsbury Dough Boy, and TaangForeverx! You are all amazing and help keep me motivated!**

**TO SMILEYFACE: Thanks! Hope my Wake Up Spencer this chapter lived up to expectations. :)**

**TO SUNNYROSE: Wow, thanks! I always like stories that ease into something rather than sudden endings, so I'm trying to do that with this story. :D**

**TO G: Freddie letting Sam beat him seemed liked the best way to end the fight (and set up for further conflict), so I'm glad you liked that part. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS: Glad you liked it last chapter and I hope this chapter lived up to the wait! :)**

**TO PERSON: Happy to hear that I kept it in character. I don't like it when stories get to OOC. :)**

**TO PILLSBURYDOUGHBOY: Ms. Esposito is a very fun character to write for and almost everyone seems to like her "my chicken" nickname. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and (pretty please with cherries on top?) REVIEW! :D**


	42. My Only Love, My Only Hate

**Yay, new chapter! Read on...**

Carly POV 6:30AM Day 12

I take the stairs two at a time, smiling at the pictures in the Seddie folder on my phone. The latest addition was one of my favorites, capturing Sam and Freddie without their stubborn denial as they acted out the play. Freddie's forehead presses down on Sam's forehead, a bare few inches of space separating them. They stare at each other, the perfect balance of intense longing mingling with a fear of losing the other. If only my bladder would have cooperated, I would have gotten to stay and see what happened next! There had been obvious tension between Sam and Freddie last night but they had blew it off with fake laughs and smiles that didn't reach their eyes. I wished they would tell me, but I didn't want Wendy to find out anything so I didn't challenge their awkwardness.

When I had been reading Romeo and Juliet as a freshman in Brigg's class, a particular quote had caught my attention and had stuck with me.

_My only love sprung from my only hate!_

Of course the circumstances where considerably different now, but Juliet's words had always seemed to describe Sam and Freddie pretty well. I didn't doubt that there had been a point sometime in middle and/or late elementary school, before they had really known each other, when they had hated each other. Sam had hated Freddie's goody two shoes behavior and Freddie, intimidated by even the thought of Sam, had hated that she didn't seem to care about _anything _he deemed important.

iCarly had brought us all together, a reluctant and tenuous friendship between Sam and Freddie growing into one of best friends. Over the last year, I had noticed countless little things that hinted at something more between them. At first it was small, lingering looks when the other was distracted and a tendency to stand closer together than was strictly necessary. It had slowly evolved into doing more segments together for iCarly as an excuse to hang out alone and their arguments were hardly ever serious anymore. Yet they hadn't ever been completely happy, always troubled by what they were (quite obviously) feeling and both seemed to have adapted a passive stance; hoping any feelings would just go away on their own. I had heard about the drama production and immediately taken action, going to Principal Franklin and setting everything up.

I retrieve a pan and throw some bacon in, distracted by my now troubling thoughts. Just like that, playful arguments suddenly exploded into World War III and long, lingering looks were accompanied with subconscious touching. Sam didn't seem to notice that every time she was around Freddie she immediately gravitated to his side, brushing hands with him lightly. She didn't seem to realize that the blank, roving gaze she always got when she was thinking hard over something seemed to focus on him exclusively. Freddie wasn't always as subtle, for some reason feeling the urge to protect Sam after he had saved her life. Of course Sam hadn't taken kindly to this, hating the fact that someone was attempting to take care of her. I grimace, pulling the first pieces of bacon out of the pan. A past like Sam's and you needed someone, preferably a psychiatrist, to talk to. Even if Sam's mom offered to pay for any therapy (extremely doubtful) Sam wouldn't go anyway. She had always seemed to subconsciously settle on Freddie as a way to balance everything out, but I doubted that it would last much longer that way. I chew on my lip, taking the last of the bacon out of the pan and trying not to imagine the crash and burn Sam would probably go through in a week.

"I smell bacon!" My bestie calls from the couch as she springs to her feet. I manage a smile, trying to hide my depressing thoughts from her.

"Morning to you too, Sam." I reply, rolling my eyes in amusement as she tries to eat the hot bacon. She wolfs her piece down in half a second, smiling at me.

"Happy Friday!" She exclaims, throwing her arms in the air. I laugh at her cheery mood this early in the morning. She was in very rare form indeed. Sam grabs another piece of bacon, devouring it in less than five seconds before reaching for another. I decide to take advantage of her good mood to tell her that I can't hang out with her before school this morning.

"I have to leave to meet with my study group in a few minutes, so it's just going to be you and Freddie walking to school this morning." I say, hoping that Sam would take it in stride. She shrugs, reaching for another piece of bacon before answering.

"Again?" Sam whines half-heartedly, not really bothered by the prospect. I laugh lightly, walking around the island towards the couch. I pick my purse up off the ground and turn back to Sam.

"We'll do a movie night on Sunday. I think it's my turn to pick." I say, trying to make up for something that Sam wasn't even upset over. She reaches for another piece of bacon, swiveling in her stool to face me. Sam chews her bacon thoughtfully, leaving me in suspense for a few moments.

"Sounds good Carls. See ya at lunch." Sam agrees, feigning reluctance.

"Don't kill Freddie!" I remind her, waving before heading out the door.

Freddie POV 7:20AM Day 12

"Hey are you two ready to go yet?" I ask, pounding on the Shay's door again before looking at my watch anxiously. We were going to be late for sure if they didn't hurry up and someone had locked the chain so I couldn't get in. "Hey-!" I start again, stopping when the door opens.

"Geez, cool your beans Freddork." Sam huffs in annoyance, closing the door behind her before turning to look at me. It would be too obvious if I turn my gaze to the ground to avoid being sucked into her eyes, so I try to distract myself.

"Where's Carly?" I ask, my strategy of ignoring Sam growing increasingly impossible when she flips her hair behind her shoulders to adjust her backpack. She rolls her eyes at my question, leading the way to the elevator.

"She had a study group or something." She answers shortly, jabbing the elevator button. We wait in silence for the elevator, not so much out of awkwardness as that we had nothing to say. The elevator dings and I follow Sam, snorting in amusement when she sprawls out against the back wall. The doors slide shut slowly and Sam sighs, shifting her backpack to her other shoulder. The doors ding open and we both step out, immediately assailed by Lewbert's screams.

"AHH, NOT YOU TWO! GET OUT OF MY LOBBY YOU MISERABLE HUGGER-MUGGERS!" I wince, covering my ears at the echoing piercing of his screams. "WHY DON'T YOU JUS-!" He's suddenly cut off, his voice gargling to a sudden stop. I glance at Sam, doing a double-take when I see a water gun in her hands. She laughs, pumping the gun again and spraying Lewbert with what looks to be water…but I couldn't be sure.

"Happy Friday, Lewby!" She says cheerfully, putting the spray gun back in her backpack and ignoring his sputtered cries of protest. I shake my head, realizing that, with Sam, anything is possible. But that's why I love her, after all. "Yo, earth to Frednub?" Sam waves her hand in front of my face, drawing me out of my thoughts. "Guess what we're doing today?" She grins and I get a bad feeling as I hold open the door for her. She steps through, turning around to walk backwards while I step outside to join her.

"We have school, Sam." I remind her, picking up my pace as I realize that we only have ten minutes until school starts. Sam speeds up to match my stride, reaching out to grip my arm and jerk me to a stop. I flush, trying to hide the obvious blush on my face from the effect she was having on me.

"School, schmule. You need to learn to live a little, Benson!" Sam says, releasing my arm and rolling her eyes.

"We can't ditch!" I protest, the complete nerd in me (ok, all of me) set against the idea of skipping school for any reason. Sam manages to look even more annoyed than before, pausing to look up at me in disbelief.

"You know, Benson, you're so much of a goody two shoes sometimes that it sickens me." She says bluntly, cracking a smile at my offended expression.

"Am not!" I shoot back, watching as Sam raises an eyebrow at my obvious lie. Glancing at my watch again, I start to hurry up the sidewalk again. A strong hand latches onto my arm, pulling me the wrong way. "Sam!" I complain, gripping her arm straining against her. I'm actually moderately successful, matching her tugging power until both of us are throwing all of our weight to pull the other in opposite directions. We both bend our knees, lowering our centers of gravity and strengthening our pull on the other.

"Benson!" Sam huffs angrily, obviously put out that I was holding my own.

"Puckett!" I counter, my arm almost numb from the combination of her tight grip and the subsequent electricity. My watch beeps, the alarm I had set telling me that school had started. Panicking now, I tighten my hand on Sam's arm and redouble my efforts to drag her towards school.

"BENSON!" Sam threatens, her hand crushing my arm as she resisted my pull by attempting to drag me towards her.

"PUCKETT!" I protest, turning around to face her and reaching for her other arm. Sam's eyes widen in surprise as I grip both of her arms now, actually managing to force her forward a few steps before she counters with a hand on my other arm. We grip each other's arms, both struggling to pull the other forward. If it had been any girl but Sam, I would have won by the grace of biology.

Sam isn't like other girls.

Her hands tighten on my arms, her unpredictable blue eyes freezing over when I make eye contact. I hold her gaze, desperately trying not to lose myself. Suddenly our battle of physical strength has become a battle of steely expressions and silent, sneaky combat. I loosen my grip on Sam's arms, maintaining eye contact and watching for any hint of attack. Her eyes hold no emotion, the flecks of blue seemingly frozen in space, waiting for me to make the first move. I slowly run my hands down Sam's arms, searching her eyes for any flicker of doubt. Before I can reach her wrists, Sam's hands loosen on my arms and move up my arms slowly. I freeze, my eyes widening involuntarily, but luckily I don't show any doubt or fear. That would have been defeat. Her hands brush my shoulders lightly, resting on top of them for a split second that allows me retain enough brain function to move my hands to her waist. Sam doesn't reveal anything in her eyes, but the way she shudders tells enough. If only I could get that doubt into her eyes….

Before I can move any further, Sam's hands travel over my shoulders, trailing down my back. I flinch at the heat rising in me, my eyes flashing for the split second that it took for me to lose our little game. Sam's eyes melt, her victory now evident. I'm utterly paralyzed, no hope of movement or reaction, as Sam edges herself closer to me. She's already won, so why was she torturing me like this? I automatically adjust to her proximity, my hands tightening around her waist and pulling her closer. Sam's eyes flicker, another shudder running through her before she leans even closer. My heart sounds like a hummingbird on freaking crack and the only thing I ever wanted to smell was strawberries. That's when her lips brush against my ear. I jump, automatically pulling her towards me. Sam's breath sweeps across my ear, her words only making the whole thing that much more tormenting.

"Mama always wins."

Wendy POV 6:40AM Day 12

Candice walks into the library, leading Pete by the hand towards our table. We all watch silently, tracking Pete's progress with our eyes until he's standing directly in front of me, shifting from foot to foot nervously. An involuntary smile of pleasure tugs at my lips at Pete's nervousness at facing me. I didn't need people to be afraid of me but there was certainly an odd thrill in it. I could make you die a social death with barely lifting a finger. I could release a truth that would ruin your life if I felt like it. Hell, I could do anything I wanted. Yet I managed to control myself, acting only for the benefit of Ridgeway and my peers, often pulling strings that next to nobody even knew about. My smile grows more prominent and I lean backward in my chair slightly, watching Pete sweat with lazy interest.

"You know why you're here." It wasn't a question and Pete didn't take it as one, waiting for me to continue. I kick my feet up on the table between us, my eyes never leaving him. "Next week we're flipping the switch." Pete looks at me in confusion and I roll my eyes. He was about as smart as he looked. "Next week you're going to get Sam to do more couple stuff with you to make Freddie jealous." I clarify, barely resisting the urge to roll my eyes when his face lights up in understanding. "Dismissed." I say, waving my hand at him idly and already looking to Mya for our next order of business. Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Candice kiss Pete and whisper something to him before she returns to her seat and he leaves. Mya slides her laptop out of its black case, the sleek design a testament to her dad's connections in the tech world. She strokes a few keys and I motion for my gossip girls on the opposite side of the table to come stand behind us. Mya gets to the screen she is looking for, shifting the laptop so I can see better. The latest episode of Wake Up Spencer plays, all of us silently listening for any hints we could get from the pitches of their voices and possible hidden meaning in their words.

"How do thou knoweth Romeo and Juliet for thou are not but a puny knotty-pated hugger-mugger?" Freddie asks, zooming the camera in on Spencer's face. I frown when the video shivers almost imperceptibly and Spencer giggles, collapsing back onto the pillows. Paige and Heather murmur in dissent, pointing at the screen. Mya rewinds, taking us back to the second Freddie says 'hugger-mugger'.

"Freddie Benson may be a tech genius, but he edited this video at three in the morning." Mya says, pressing a button the plays the clip back at half speed. This time I catch what Paige and Heather had seen last time around, a tiny blip in the footage that betrayed Sam and Freddie. This video was edited and, if I had to guess, it there was so pretty interesting footage that we needed to find.

"Gotcha." I whisper, smirking at the screen.

**Just so you know, the "game" Sam and Freddie were playing is something similar to **Are You Nervous**? So...completely suckish or completely Seddie? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Speaking of reviews, I owe a GINORMOUS thanks to all of the reviewers that helped me reach 900 reviews! Thanks to: leodoglover, smileyface, ober22, BeautifulDreamerx, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Kay, SunnyRose, MultiSeddielover, iMaximumSeddie, mirage888, veeheart914, Tvshowobsessed2, Antonio Pablo, Mari13ssa, Romance and Musicals, Gallini's Pie Lover, coketree20, mygirl1807, omgwtfEmily, TaangForeverx, Kpfan72491, The Littlest Things, chocolate fish, XcrozzybabezX, bella3590, violet0scar, ChaosKeks, brasskid72, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, EllyWrites, iWantSeddie, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, LettersFromTheHeart, gottaloveLOVE, icecoffee18, G, Mystapleza, iAdore Seddie, seddieroxxmysoxx, PartyPooper845, Ivyheart, and Daring to Hope!**

***To any of the below that have a fanfiction account: Something weird is going on with the site and I couldn't PM you.***

**TO SMILEYFACE: Glad you liked it! Going to post your challenge later today.**

**TO KAY: Did you see the new Wake Up Spencer from last week? It was really funny! :)**

**TO SUNNYROSE: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter just as much as last chapter.**

**TO iMAXIMUMSEDDIE: I hope so too! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D**

**TO VEEHEART914: Thanks! Did this chapter live up to the wait? **

**TO MARI13SSA: Glad you like it so much! Wake Up Spencer is very fun to write. :)**

**TO ROMANCE AND MUSICALS: Ahh...I've always wondered at the plight of the Panda. They don't get to lie about love and...and...and it's just so SAD! *bursts into fake tears* jk, jk...but it's still true. Wow, that was weird. I need to sleep more. I'm gonna go now. Thanks! :D**

**TO GALLINI'S PIE LOVER: I'm not sure if you've read up to this chapter yet, but thanks! Love you screen name btw! :D**

**TO G: Wow, thanks! Shakespearean insults are very difficult to come up with. Most of them came from my little brother. :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Haha, that's pretty funny! Girls FTW! :D**

**So...that's about it! THANKS A BILLION (you deserve WAY more than a million) for reading and please review! :D**


	43. It's Prescott, Wendy Prescott

**So...watched iStart A Fanwar last night. I'm not going to get into my opinion about it other then I was disappointed with it. Even if it's a filler, hope this chapter cheers you up!**

Wendy POV (continued)

"Nice work, Mya." She nods at the compliment, still intent on the footage. "What do you think he edited out?" I ask her, slightly surprised when she looks up at me with a frown.

"If I had to guess, I would say that Spencer said something that embarrassed them." She speculates, pursing her lips in frustration. I nod once, pointing to Emily and snapping once.

"Emily?" I prompt, hoping her brain for probabilities could discern something that we couldn't see.

"If you take into account the present inquiry and compare it to Spencer's inexplicable aptitude for declaring the most undesirable of observations, we can speculate that Spencer did mention something that could potentially cause a fair amount of conflict between Sam and Freddie. However, we must also take into account that this video was posted in the first place, suggesting that any conflicts that may have resulted were resolved." Emily finishes, looking down to play with her blond hair. She finally seems to notice us staring at her and she glances up at me. "What?"

"Have you been reading the thesaurus again?" I tease, pretending to be slightly put out. Emily rolls her eyes, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Just because I have blond hair does not mean that you may assume my stupidity." She teases back, high fiving Lacy and murmuring something that sounded distinctly like 'blonds have more fun, anyway'. I roll my eyes, laughing with the rest of my gossip girls over that one. "Basically, Spencer has a tendency to say the one thing that you don't want him to say and I think that he answered in a way that may have caused a tiny bit of conflict between Sam and Freddie, but it was obviously resolved because this video is posted." Emily explains, bringing us all back into a more serious business mode. The door to the library opens and Carly walks in, scanning the deserted room until she finds the only occupied table.

"Morning girls." Carly greets us as she takes a seat. We all murmur hellos before my gossip girls all turn to look at me, wondering what we should do next. I clear my throat, looking at Mya pointedly. She nods once, placing the laptop in front of Carly and playing the video. Carly laughs at each new insult, covering her mouth to stop herself from being too loud. When the video ends, she looks at me and smiles.

"Was this last night? Sam didn't say anything about a new Wake Up Spencer." She comments, her smile quickly fading to a look of confusion. I sit up straighter, determined to get the information I needed.

"So how was Sam this morning? Did she seem angry or upset?" I ask, focusing on Carly. She thinks for a minute, frowning as she tries to remember.

"No, she was unusually happy this morning." She finally answers, nodding once to emphasize her statement.

"Did she mention Freddie at all?" I probe, hoping that we can find something here.

"I told her that I wouldn't be able to walk with them this morning so they would have to go alone. She acted like she was upset, but she wasn't." Carly smiles, a faraway look in her eyes as she thinks about her two best friends. Oh, boy amateur matchmaker in action. I recline in my chair, thinking hard over this new information while I tapped my fingers on the table. _Something_ had happened last night, but it didn't seem to be causing any more trouble between the two. I feel Mya's eyes land on me, a silent question. I nod once, wondering if she would actually be able to pull this off.

"Carly." Mya says to get her attention. Carly swivels to face her and Mya smiles reassuringly before continuing. "We need Freddie's computer." Carly starts and looks around in confusion.

"Why do you need Freddie's computer again?" She asks cautiously, her body language betraying her anxiety at helping us.

"This video-," Mya gestures to the laptop. "-isn't complete. It's been edited to cut out something." Carly thinks about this for a minute, quickly becoming just as curious about it as we are.

"What did Freddie edit out?" She asks, leaning forward in interest.

"That's the thing: we don't really know." I say, catching the attention of everyone at the table. "Mya is hoping to recover the full video before Freddie deletes it but we need Freddie's laptop." Carly thinks about this, her loyalty to her friends fighting against her own curiosity and our pressure.

"I'll see what I can do." She finally answers, looking the tiniest bit ashamed. Mya exhales audibly in relief, the rest of us smiling at Carly's assent.

"What are you planning to do this weekend?" I ask casually. Carly thinks for a minute, ticking off everything on her fingers.

"We've got iCarly tomorrow night." She pauses briefly, thinking. "Sam was saying something last night about Freddie taking her to the store to get hams tomorrow. It's movie night on Sunday night." Carly shrugs. "Mostly just hang out. Why?" I smile widely, matchmaking plots dancing in my head.

"Freddie and Sam had a fight Wednesday night, but they're choosing to ignore it. Now that they're trying to be normal, we can give them more little nudges towards the direction we want them to go." I say, reflecting that Sam and Freddie weren't normal in any way, shape, or form after a fight like the one they had had on Wednesday night. Yet they both ignored any tension, almost denying that anything had happened at all.

"How do you know about that fight?" Carly asks, her eyebrows meshing together in confusion.

"It's all in the body language." I reply simply, already thinking about my plan of action. "Do you get to pick a movie for movie night?" I ask, a terribly devious plan already formed.

"Yeah, it's my turn." Carly says cautiously, clearly noticing the sudden excitement among my gossip girls.

"Perfect." I grin, nodding once to Paige, our resident movie buff. She gives a small squeal of excitement and digs through her purse for the perfect way to create awkward. Carly watches us warily, gripping her purse tightly. Classic body language for untrusting. Smart girl.

"Found it!" Paige says, trembling with excitement. She displays the movie to Carly and immediately begins to gush about how fantastic the movie was. "…and Leonardo Dicaprio is just so HOT! I mean he's practically combustible!" She sighs dreamily and turns the cover away from Carly so she can look at him again. "I want my knight in shining armor." I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes when every single one of my gossip girls takes on Paige's dreamy expression and sighs dramatically. Carly finally finds her voice, frantically trying to dissuade us.

"Do you want me to die?" She starts to speak even faster, her words slurring together. "I don't want to die! I like my life! I have lots of nice things! Every day I have fun and being strangled by one or both of my best friends isn't fun at all! I don't want to die! I mean do YOU think that that's-."

"Relax, Carly!" I cut her off, knowing that Sam and Freddie wouldn't kill her for this…probably. "This is what you're going to do." I lean forward, waiting until I have all of Carly's attention before I carefully explain how to navigate this very delicate situation. "You're going to put the movie in…calmly." Carly nods once, relaxing her grip on her purse the tiniest bit. "Then you're going to sit next to Sam and Freddie…calmly." Carly nods again, her terrified expression slowly fading. "Then you're going to hand Sam the huge bowl of popcorn drenched in butter that you've already prepared…calmly." Carly nods, slowly starting to relax. "Then you're going to give Freddie this insider report of Pear's latest model of the Pearpod…calmly." Carly nods again, taking the insider report that Mya hands while keeping her focus on me. "Then you're going to press play…calmly." I finish, gratified that Carly is reasonably calmer now. She looks down, glancing over the sheet of hopeless tech nerd mumbo jumbo before looking up again.

"And what happens after I press play?" She asks, her voice steady. I look down at my hands, playing with my fingers for a minute as I try to think of the best way to put this.

"Emily?" I prompt, knowing that she could explain this way better than I could.

"Based on their fluctuating emotions and the different pressures they're under, I can't give you an exact prediction; but based on current mood altitude and several other factors that I'd rather not go into right now, I can be reasonably accurate." Emily clears her throat before continuing, looking down at the long list of calculations that she had started the second we had brought up movies a few minutes ago. "There's an 8% chance that Sam and Freddie will watch the entire movie without protest." Carly gives a frightened squeak at this, clutching her purse to her chest. Our goal isn't for Sam and Freddie to sit around and feel nothing while watching this movie; no, our goal was to force out the awkward to get a confession. This was exactly the movie for the job. "There's a 20% chance that Sam and Freddie will refuse to watch the movie at all and a 32% chance that they will protest but watch the movie anyway." She hesitates, an obvious pause that is completely out of character for her.

"And the other 40%?" Carly asks, gripping her purse tightly. Paige hesitates again, looking at me for help. I nod once reassuringly and she takes a deep breath before continuing.

"Now I'm not saying _hospital stay _but…"

"Absolutely not!" Carly cuts her off. Let's just say it took about ten minutes of a mixture of pleas, threats, promises, and reassurances before Carly finally agrees to help us with the movie. Well, maybe _agree_ wasn't the right word so much as _accepted_ that we were going to force her to do this. We knew too much for her to risk breaking her contract. Carly leaves in a huff, muttering something about talking to Mrs. Benson about life insurance policies, but we're all too pleased with the outcome to care much about this. I bang my gavel as soon as the library door slams behind Carly, catching the attention of my chattering Gossip Girls and the disapproval of the librarian.

"Sorry." I apologize quickly, setting down the gavel quickly. "Assignments for this weekend…." I trail off, looking through Emily's statistics and Carly's information. "Let's leave them alone for today in case they are still fighting over last night, even though I seriously doubt it." I chew on my lip, running my finger down the weekend Carly had described. "Tasha is going to stick with Gibby this weekend and see if she can pick up on anything." I don't look up, but I feel Tasha's nod of acknowledgement and hear her chair moving as she gathers her possessions. "Mya is going to work on the Wake Up Spencer thing. Oh! If you could also look into getting some sort of a camera set up so Paige can watch Sam and Freddie's reaction to the movie, that would be great." More scraping and I know the Mya is packing up all of her tech gear into her purse and Paige is giving Leonardo one last longing look. "Candice needs to get Pete started on jealously. I have it on good authority that Ms. Esposito will begin the dance lessons at rehearsal today and I will be MOST displeased if he can't even keep up with Sam." Candice gulps audibly and I know that the rigorous waltz lessons she had been planning for lunch today have suddenly become that much more important. The library door closes and more papers rustle as Candice begins to clean up the notes she had taken. "Emily and Heather are on dating statistics and try to get me something on possible patterns of behavior that we can use." Two more chairs push away from the table, leaving only Lacy and I sitting down. "Lacy you're on the beat. Any suspicious gossip is yours." I look up for the first time, frowning sympathetically at Lacy's double workload. "Sorry I'm leaving this weekend. I hate to let you do my work too." Lacy smiles, shaking her head in amusement.

"Don't worry 'bout it." Then the smile turns into a smirk. "At least I'm not going to be at a family reunion." I roll my eyes, putting away my notes and snapping my purse shut.

"Don't even get me started on how weird my mom's family is." I shiver dramatically, drawing a laugh out of Lacy.

"What's her maiden name again?" She asks, still laughing at my expense. I scowl, already over this joke.

"Wheeler. So, yes, it's hilarious to consider the possibility of me as Wendy Wheeler!" I say sarcastically, pushing open the door of the library. Lacy clutches her side in an attempt to soothe the hiccupping laughs escaping her as she follows me out into the hallway.

"Whatever you say, Wheels!" She huffs through her laughter.

"Very funny, Lacy, but it's Prescott. Wendy Prescott."

**So...what did you think? The Gossip Girls prepare their plan of attack for the weekend...a little look into future chapters! Did you hate it? Did you love it? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Thanks for all the amazing reviews: mirage888, coketree20, leodoglover, DelenaSeddieLuv, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Castle-of-Bones, Kpfan72491, HugsandBugsSmileyface, ChaosKeks, xBeckyBooHerex, JakesWolf54, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, veeheart914, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, chocolate fish, iMaximumSeddie, G, alwayssmiling11, MakeASwish, bella3590, XcrozzybabezX, seddieforever, EllyWrites, LettersFromTheHeart, LadyRose12, ober22, nelli, MultiSeddielover, iLove Seddie, The Littlest Things, gottaLoveLOVE, brasskid72, justjb, icecoffee18, and iShakespeare! I happen to know for a fact that you are the best reviewers on all of fanfiction! xD**

**TO VEEHEART917: Glad you liked it so much! Mya, tech wizard/fashion guru, has been assigned the task of finding the original Wake Up Spencer. How will she do it?**

**TO iMAXIMUMSEDDIE: Thanks! Wendy is a Seddie shipper, but mainly for the challenge of getting them together then anything else. **

**TO G: I really liked Jack Black in the episode! He was hilarious, as always. :D**

**TO MAKEASWISH: I don't know if you're to this chapter yet, but I don't want to ruin Carly's little Seddie folder for you! Just know that it's important to the plot...very important.**

**TO SEDDIEFOREVER: Glad you liked it! Hope this chapter was just as good as the last! :)**

**TO LADYROSE12: Wendy is up to something horribly devious, as always. :)**

**TO NELLI: I usually update once a week, on Saturdays. Glad you enjoy reading my story. :D**

**TO iLOVE SEDDIE: I do happen to know what the squeal of that story is called. Somehow, I have the sneaking suspicion that you do too... Nah, just kidding. :D**

**TO iSHAKESPEARE: Do you mean Sam's last line from Chapter 30? That's from Pride and Prejudice. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and I know that review button is looking awfully tempting, so I'll just leave you two alone. )**


	44. Perfect

**What's up my peeps? Happy late Thanksgiving...and welcome to Christmas (or whatever holiday you happen to celebrate) season! Read on...**

Sam POV 12:15PM Day 12

"Geez, lighten up Freddork." I scold absently, too engrossed in my burrito to really focus on Freddie. At least that was what I was telling myself. I mean, it wasn't like I was memorizing every second of his voice and every detail of his face for the billionth time. No, definitely not.

"No, I will not lighten up Sam!" He rants, leaning across the table to get closer to me. "Youmade me to miss first period because you just _happened _to have a craving for a smoothie!" I roll my eyes, granting him a tiny bit more of my (obvious) attention.

"You got off easy Benson. At least I didn't make you ditch the whole day." I take a huge bite of the burrito, closing my eyes and humming at the unhealthy deliciousness. Freddie grumbles something about his perfect attendance record, shooting me another glare before turning to his lettuce and mayo sandwich. Yeah, you heard me right. Crazy was _that_ strict about the nub's diet.

"It's almost the end of the year anyway." I mumble, covering my mouth with my hand as I swallow quickly. "Gorman already forced us to take finals, so what could possibly be so important that a nub like you couldn't miss _one _period of school?" Freddie chews slowly, a habit gained from his mom's constant fears of Freddie choking. Finally, he swallows.

"School is school Sam. I, as you so often feel the need to remind me, am a nub and actually take pride in my grades…unlike some people." He looks at me pointedly, obviously hinting at my horrendous record of shortcomings. My hand comes down on the table, shaking the frame with its force.

"Why does everything have to be so perfect for you?" I ask with heat, watching his slight recoil at my intensity. Freddie's eyes rest on me, their surprise as easy to feel as the cold tabletop under my suddenly tense fingers. I glare back, waiting for him.

"Perfect as in…?" Of course the dork would answer my question with a question. Last time I checked, I wasn't Alex Trebek and this wasn't Jeopardy.

"Just forget it Fredweird." I shove my burrito in my mouth, forcing myself to stop talking before I give too much away. The memory is close, lingering at the edge of my consciousness despite how desperately I'm fighting it off. I hadn't allowed myself to remember for five years and I sure as hell wasn't going to start now.

"I'm not trying to be perfect, Sam." He didn't have to try to be perfect. Carly, with some killer sense of timing, saves Freddie from answering any further.

"Hey Sam, Freddie. What goes on?" She greets us cheerfully, putting her lunch tray and purse on the table before sitting next to me. I look up, smiling at her, but also aware that Freddie was slowly leaning back out of his inclined position. He seems out of it, his evasiveness to my question transforming into quiet reflection. I wave at Carly absently, occupied with my own thoughts.

_Perfect_

Mom had always liked Melanie, the perfect one, more than me.

It hadn't hurt when I was younger, mostly because I never realized that Melanie somehow always got the more expensive clothes or the fancier toys. Even if I had realized, I wouldn't have cared because I had Dad. It strikes me with paralyzing swiftness, not allowing me time to block it.

_For the first time I focus on the driver, a middle aged woman with dark hair._

I shudder, gritting my teeth and clenching my eyes shut with determined intensity. Not now. Not ever.

_She isn't looking at us, instead focusing on her dashboard or something in her lap._

A warm hand rests on my left arm, tightening when I drop my burrito onto my lunch tray and reflexively grab the lunch table; clinging tightly and desperately trying to pull myself out of the memory. The horrifying inevitability about the whole thing is why it's so tortuous.

_Adrenaline pulses through me, my heart pumping faster than ever before and my breath is suddenly missing._

Scratch that, the guilt is worse.

_I inhale sharply, the woman in the truck looking up for the first time and meeting my eyes._

I feel exposed, unable to stop the memory like I usually would. It terrifies me. I don't want to know, don't want to remember. It had already been too much to live it once.

_For the longest second of my life, we stare at each other, both of our eyes widening in realization._

The squeezing pressure on my left arm continues to increase, a vague buzz in my ear as someone speaks. I struggle, drowning until someone pries my right hand off the edge of the lunch table. Whoever it is tightens their grip on my hand, hurting my fingers but succeeding in pulling me out.

"-okay, Sam?" Carly's voice comes, desperate with fear. I wince, but not at Carly's death grip on my left arm. Still slightly dazed, my gaze drifts to the person that pulled me out. He stares back, his crushing grip on my fingers loosening only when I meet his eyes. Freddie continues to stare, but not in a pushy way that demands to know what had just happened to me; no, even scarier than him wanting to know what had just happened was that his distraught expression had quieted to something softer. Carly's questions fade to a buzz again and I struggle to decipher what exactly that softer feeling was. His thumb traces circles on the back of my hand, intended to calm, but only confusing me more. I study him, noting the small flicker of surprise in his eyes when I lean fractionally closer to figure out what exactly he was doing. It seemed to be some combination of concern...more relief than I would have expected….the curiosity that he was attempting to hide…but, overwhelmingly, an unfathomable protectiveness dominates every other emotion. I had told him to stop doing that. Figures the dork wouldn't listen. He didn't know that even if I did need someone to protect me (which I don't and would never need someone to protect me) I didn't deserve it.

Freddie's thumb freezes on the back of my hand, his eyes widening as I freeze to ice before his very eyes. My expression is deathly; a careful combination of annoyance, menace, and (most importantly) brusque dismissal. When Freddie fails to release my hand, I reach out and pry his fingers off of mine, barely holding back a wince as all the blood flows back into my numb fingers. Turning to Carly, I allow the ice to melt for the briefest of seconds to let her see that I was fine, hoping that she would release my arm. It's fake, of course. I'm probably certifiably insane. Her expression of concern changes to one of understanding, opening her mouth to ask if I needed anything. I'm pretty sure she doesn't have a time machine, so rather than listen to the pity trip that I don't deserve, I get up abruptly. Careful to keep my eyes on anything but him, I stoop to the ground and throw my backpack over my shoulder. At the last second, I pick up my half-eaten burrito and take it with me even though I have no intention of eating it. It would be too weird if I purposely rejected food. Leaving without explanation, I search desperately for something to block the flood of memories that were still threatening to consume me. My walls are gone, blasted to oblivion and leaving me to the guilt. Biting my lip until I draw blood, I double my efforts until the memories are safely away.

I had no doubt the memories would be back and, at some point, no amount of ice would be able to hold off the questions.

Freddie POV 2:30PM Day 12

It had happened in seconds. I still didn't have a clue what had come over Sam, but I also understood that pushing for a reason would only strain the minuscule trust she had in me. More than anything, I wanted Sam to trust me. It wasn't a realistic hope; especially since Carly was so unwilling to tell me anything. We had agreed that there would be no secrets between us, but this wasn't just a secret. This was Sam's dad, and wherever he was (if he was still alive) was affecting Sam more than ever. Things were supposed to get easier with time, but I had never seen Sam like that before. Which could only mean one thing: it was getting worse.

The bell rings and I automatically get to my feet, securing my backpack over my chest before absently walking to Sam's classroom. I didn't know when exactly, but it had quickly become an unspoken tradition that Sam would come out of her class and I would be waiting.

_Dependable and Consistent_

I pull a special surprise out of my backpack, waiting patiently for Sam to emerge. She finally passes through the doorway, her eyes finding me immediately. I hold up her surprise, smiling faintly when her face lights up. Just like that, everything was forgotten and nothing could possibly be wrong in the world. Sam was happy. Of course, this is still Sam Puckett we're talking about. In her hurry to reach me, she pushes an unfortunate student into a locker and shoves her way through the crowded hallway, ignoring cries of protest (and pain). Sam reaches me seconds later, practically salivating at the fat cakes I had brought for her. We couldn't have a hungry Sam Puckett at rehearsal, now could we?

"Those better be for me, Fredhead." She threatens, narrowing her eyes. I chuckle, pretending to think for a minute.

"Well, let's see. I've already spent five bucks to get you a smoothie this morning and these fat cakes-," I shrug, sighing dramatically. "-well they look really good, so I might just have to eat them m-." Sam rolls her eyes, extending her open palm out for the fat cakes. I decide not to push my luck, handing over the snack without further argument. I'm rewarded with the first solid eye contact she's made since lunch; but it's a forceful contact, initiated to make me realize that she's in complete control. It's obvious that she had picked up on my protectiveness earlier and was silently reinforcing boundaries. I was not to protect her. At least that's what she tries to make me think. It's almost unnoticeable, only visible to someone who had seen Sam's eyes as close up as I had. The blue in her eyes is fractured; a million different hues coexisting in a kind of complex jigsaw puzzle. There was something hidden in her eyes, if only I could figure it out. Sam, her eyes never leaving mine, peels off the plastic of the fat cakes. She shoves half of a fat cake in her mouth, raising one of her eyebrows at my unfaltering gaze. It was almost like she was challenging me.

I had always loved jigsaw puzzles. Bring it on, Puckett, _bring it on_.

**So...what did you think? Completely suckish? Or completely Seddie? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to all of the reviewers from last chapter: leodoglover, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, UnknownDreamer, violet0scar, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, mirage888, iMaximumSeddie, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, ober22, MelJean, chocolate fish, Gabsikle, Multi Seddie, nelli/PurpleMousefurGomez, LettersFromTheHeart, veeheart914, Kpfan72491, coketree20, Mari13ssa, G, Mystapleza, IamMU-chan, gottaloveLOVE, xcrozzybabezX, ChaosKeks, Geekquality, icecoffee18, Mardelzor, seddiefan5128, EeLILIAa, and iPeppyCola.**

**TO UNKNOWNDREAMER: Wendy can be very evil, but I love writing it! Hope the Seddie in this chapter made you smile! :)**

**TO iMAXIMUMSEDDIE: Happy to be of assistance! Seddie FTW! :D**

**TO VEEHEART914: Lots of stuff going on, isn't there? Next chapter is going to be humor/Seddie, hope you like it!**

**TO MARI13SSA: So, did it live up to the wait? :)**

**TO G: Glad you liked it! I'm still deciding Carly's fate...we'll see.**

**TO MELJEAN: Thanks! I love writing this story, and it's definitely going to be a long one! I try to update weekly.**

**TO SEDDIEFAN5128: Wow, glad you liked it so much! Hope this chapter lived up to expectations! :)**

**TO iPeppyCola: Relatives + Faulty Internet Connection = Delays in updating...but it's out now!**

**So...that's about it! Thanks a BILLION for reading and please review! :D**


	45. Telling It Like It Is

**Are you ready for the Seddie? Read on...**

Carly POV 4:30PM Day 12

"…so then Travis was like 'but it's only a plastic surgery.'" Kayla snaps her gum, her accent truly bringing out a certain sassiness. "So then I was like 'My body is a temple.'" She waves her finger around, snapping her gum for about the billionth time.

"Way to tell him honey!" Becky, the fitter for the Montague girls, encourages.

"That's not even the best part cuz than I went right to his face and you know what I said? I was like 'I'm more woman than you could handle anyway.'" Kayla nods her head vigorously, handing Sam a blue nightgown. "Yeah, that's right." Kayla adds, turning to the next costume she had to tailor. Becky continues to adjust the hem on another girl's dress, giving small murmurs of agreement as Kayla keeps talking.

"Did it ever occur to you that your eight year old brother has no clue what he's talking about?" I finally interrupt, unable to take any more of the already half hour long story.

"I don't think anything has ever occurred to her." Sam mutters under her breath, eyeing the blue nightgown with a look of pure loathing. "She's out of her chizzen' mind if she thinks I'm going to wear this."

"Sam!" I reprimand, unable to hide a slight smile at her bluntness. "That's a very pretty nightgown and you know it!" Sam raises an eyebrow, looking up from the nightgown in disgust. "Just try it on Sam." I say tiredly, propping my head up on the counter of the makeup station. Ms. Esposito had sent all of the characters appearing more than once in the play to their clothing designers/tailors to retrieve their other costumes. Most people were minor characters that only appeared at the Capulet ball, so they were off learning Ms. Esposito's dance number. Ms. Esposito had suddenly decided against me being at the Capulet ball, so I had chosen to endure the long dress rehearsal with Sam.

"Well?" I look up, my head slowly rising off of my arm at the sight of my blond best friend. Sam's sarcastic tone and bored look hide the obvious anxiety in her tense muscles, waiting for my thoughts. The royal blue nightgown is the exact same shade as her ball gown, complementing her beautifully. It falls to her knees, the neckline showing her collarbone but maintaining modesty. Her eyes dart around the room, self-conscious of the stares of every single girl in the vicinity. "Yeah, I knew it was stupid." She laughs, the sound a little off, as she turns to move behind the changing curtain again.

"Wait." I say, overcoming my speechlessness and smiling slightly. The other girls murmur assent, moving to hover closer around Sam. I step forward, patting her bare shoulder before turning to the girl next to me. ___"You designed this Kayla?" I ask, ignoring Sam's clear confusion. The dark-haired girl nods, smiling in a slightly smug way. Sam finally becomes impatient with the stares of the girls, slapping away Becky's-the girl playing Montague's wife-hand when she reaches out to feel the soft satin material._

_"__Take a picture, it'll last longer!" Sam suggests, glaring at us in annoyance. There's a moment of silence before a universal shrug travels through the crowd of girls as they reach for their cell phones. "I was kidding!" _Sam rolls her eyes, taking a step for the curtain.

"Wait, don't you want to know what we think?" I ask, tightening my hand on her shoulder to keep her close. Sam turns back, her bored expression flawlessly hiding what was really there.

"You don't need to say anything." She gestures at Kayla before continuing. "Kayla will just have to start over or try to fix it somehow." Sam says it so matter-of-fact that I'm stunned for a second.

"Fix it?" I ask, glancing around for support. Most girls chuckle, a few even eyeing Sam enviously. "Sam, it's _perfect_." Sam looks down at her nightgown doubtfully, pulling at the edges. I grab her other shoulder to get her attention, trying to figure out a good comparison to make her understand. "You look like…" I trail off, looking around for help. Someone knocks on the door, a very familiar muffled voice asking if everybody was decent. A few half-dressed girls scramble for their missing clothes, others hiding costumes they had already tried on from the boy waiting patiently for someone to signal it was safe for him to open the door. Sam moves away from me, eyeing the changing curtain like it was some kind of haven. I pull her back against her wishes, spinning her around to face me. "Sam, you don't have time to change." Sam's eyes narrow but she remains silent. Kayla does a last minute check to make sure that everyone is decent and Sam makes another break from the curtain. "Oh, don't be a baby!" I hiss at her, grateful that she allows me to pull her back. "He's going to see you in this later anyway!"

"We're good!" Kayla calls, watching the door in anticipation. The doorknob turns and Freddie pushes the door open. He smiles politely at the staring girls, nodding to them before slowly turning his eyes to us. Sam's bored expression is back, stepping in front of me with newfound confidence.

"What do you want, Fudgeface?" It's not a fair question, especially since Freddie is a hormonal teenage boy that knows exactly what he wants.

"I want you." He answers immediately, somehow able to focus on something else but Sam's nightgown. Freddie reddens as soon as his words sink in, quickly correcting himself. "I mean, Ms. Esposito says she needs you so she told me to come get you and….yeah." I can't see Sam's expression but the sudden goose bumps that pop up on her arms say enough. She nods, turning to walk back to the changing curtain. I reach out and grab her arm, stopping her and calling Freddie back into the room.

"I just can't seem to think of something to compare Sam to right now. What do you think Freddie?" Sam looks at me in surprise, but thankfully isn't upset. Freddie swallows before turning back and looking at Sam from the doorway. His eyes rake up and down her nightgown and Sam takes it surprisingly well, staring back at him with just as much concentration.

"I don't want to end up in the hospital, so I think I'll keep it to myself." Freddie answers, unable to tear his eyes away from Sam.

"Good choice Freddison….but now I'm actually kind of curious." Sam folds her arms across her chest, staring at Freddie with what could only be described as a challenge. He smirks, silently accepting.

"You don't want to know, Puckett." Sam scoffs, clearly disagreeing.

"I'm a big girl. Tell me like it is." Another challenge. Freddie considers, weighing the future use of his limbs against the possibility of beating Sam at her own game.

"Fine, but you asked for it." He motions for Sam to come closer, surprising her. Of course, Sam won't back down from anything and steps forward. Freddie leans down, cupping his hands around her ear and breathing something to her. Sam's smirk fades to disbelief and she pulls away as soon as Freddie finishes.

"Funny joke, Benson." She says, eyeing him like he's a jelly donut that had decided to perform an Irish jig for her. Freddie shakes his head, gently propelling her forward into the room.

"I'm just telling you like it is." He retorts softly, raising an eyebrow. Sam turns around to protest but he closes the door before she can edge in a comeback. Muttering angrily under her breath, she stalks to the curtain and whips it closed so she can change.

Such is the usual "argument" of Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson.

Sam POV 5:00PM Day 12

I jerk the door to the improvised dressing room open, hurrying down the hallway towards the stage. I savor the feeling of my regular clothes, especially after the many costumes that had been forced on me. At least they were half-way decently designed and didn't look like someone had attacked them with a bedazzler. My aptitude for fashion had never been strong, so I guess I would have to trust Carly that Kayla's costumes "belonged in a fashion show" and that Kayla was definitely going to go places in fashion one day. My pace quickens when my thoughts return to Freddie, still determined to get him back. He had caught me off guard, said something so unexpected that I hadn't been able to fire a comeback until it was too late. I finally reach the backstage view of the stage, pausing before charging out. Ms. Esposito was critiquing dancing form, racing around the stage like a mini tornado. I stifle a laugh when she pushes a couple closer, offering the nugget of wisdom that they were supposed to be pretending to enjoy themselves. Sudden footsteps and I feel someone come up behind me, the vanilla and cinnamon giving him up.

"What, you didn't even bring me a tiara?" I ask, staring determinedly at the stage and away from him.

"I doubt it would fit over the devil horns." He teases, his smug smirk growing when I turn around to retaliate.

"I don't know if you're riding some nerd high because you bumped up your computer's speed by a half percent, but-unless you want to ride your little nerd high all the way to the hospital-it would be best if you knock your chiz off." Freddie's smirk fades at my intensity, shifting away warily.

"Since when did it become a crime to compliment you?" He asks, getting over his shock enough to look irritated.

"That wasn't a compliment!" I counter, glaring at him in a way that clearly told him to back off **now**. Freddie's eyebrows furrow in anger, defying my obvious warning when he takes a step forward.

"Oh, I'm sorry! Last time I checked, it was considered a compliment to be told that you look like a princess!" I grab his arm, hissing at him to be quiet while I look around shiftily.

"Why would you even want to compliment me in the first place?" I whisper, my question hanging in the air awkwardly.

"Well…I..I thought.." Freddie fumbles, surprising me. "You told me to tell it like it is." I roll my eyes, turning around all the way now.

"Well, then you obviously suck at following directions." I clear my throat, pulling my hand off his arm so I can think clearly. "Just..don't do…that." It had stricken a chord with me, an almost memory stirring when he had compared me a princess. It shouldn't be that big of a deal, especially since he usually addresses me as a 'Princess Puckett' practically every night, but that was teasingly and without any real belief behind it. That was fine with me. I had never dreamed about a Prince Charming suddenly coming along and fixing all of my problems…that had been Melanie's dream. No, mine had (of course) always involved a boy bringing me food and…. I freeze, the half-digested fat cakes in my stomach suddenly churning sickeningly. Turning away from Freddie to watch the stage, I lean against the wall discreetly and try to figure out what had happened next in my old daydream. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying desperately to remember for once. It shouldn't matter, doesn't matter, but the churning in my stomach remains.

"Have _you _ever seen a princess that's been anything less than breathtaking?" Freddie asks softly, breaking my concentration. My eyes snap open and the waltz music picks up like some measure of my heart rate. It was my brain playing tricks on me. It had to be.

"No, I haven't." Biting my lip voraciously, I force myself to continue. "So, if you really want to find one, I'm sure Carly or Melanie are available." Ignoring his sharp intake of breath, I step out on the stage but keep myself pressed as close to the edge as possible. The dancers don't sense my presence, too caught up in their partners to notice anything. I make it to the edge of the stage and jump to the ground easily, bending my knees to absorb the shock. Ms. Esposito glances up at me, motioning for me to walk to her table, before turning her attention to the dancers once again. I make my way up the aisle quickly, knowing that Freddie isn't far behind me. The waltzers stop as the music comes to an end, some trading partners in preparation for the next dance. The cheerful music starts up again and the girls eagerly drag the boys forward. Ms. Esposito hums along, swaying in time to the music. I turn my attention back to the stage, flinching when I see Freddie heading up the aisle towards us. Recovering myself immediately, I pretend to watch the multitude of teenagers in their regular clothes dancing a waltz. It's one of the weirdest sights I've ever laid eyes on. As if someone up high is mocking me exclusively, the second my eyes are dragged back to Freddie by some kind of gravity the music becomes hauntingly slower.

"Ahh, my favorite." Ms. Esposito sighs, turning to look at me. "Blue Danube." I assume that's the name of the music currently trapping my gaze on Freddie. He's distracted, continuing his progress up the aisle and seemingly unaware of the soft music echoing around the theater. He finally reaches us, just as the music begins to pick up and allows me to tear my eyes away from him. It grows into a tune I recognize from somewhere, but I can't quite identify it. "Waltzes are so elegant, yes? That is why I chose it for Capulet party." Ms. Esposito gets to her feet now, looking between the two of us. "Romeo, you will not be dancing in this scene." I look back at Freddie before I can stop myself, averting my eyes the second they meet his. What the chiz was wrong with me?

"What am I supposed to do during the scene then?" Freddie asks, his eyes turning away from me. He shifts closer, unknowingly grazing my side with his arm. I close my eyes, my involuntary shiver only forcing Freddie-in his stupid, stubborn protectiveness-to move closer. Ms. Esposito stands, moving past us but pausing briefly before continuing on her way to the stage.

"Why, stare at Juliet, of course."

**So...Seddie? or Suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**I truly believe that the best readers and reviewers on fanfiction read this, and it was proven last week when I broke 1,000 reviews. Thanks so much! Special thanks to: ober22, mirage888, coketree20, Mardelzor, Lyllian CK, M U L T I S E D D I E, Kpfan72491, DrPepperRox, chocolate fish, violet0scar, ChaosKeks, XcrozzybabezX, EeLlLlAa, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, brasskid72, iMaximumSeddie, seddiefan5128, HugsandBugsSmileyface, PartyPooper845, xxxBONESxxx, Geekquality, LovalyDisaster, leodoglover, Mystapleza, Mari13ssa, UnknownDreamer, G, Castle-of-Bones, seddieroxxmysoxx, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, PurpleMousefurGomez, LettersFromTheHeart, KradamLuvr, Ivyheart, wakawakababe, EllyWrites, icecoffee18, and MissKress!**

**TO DRPEPPERROX: Glad you like it! How many chapters am I going to do? Hmm...an interesting question that I can only answer as: a lot. :)**

**TO iMAXIMUM SEDDIE: Thanks! I'm so happy that you are enjoying it so much! :D**

**TO SEDDIEFAN5128: I try to update weekly, usually on Saturdays (well, at least in my time zone) but I'm glad you enjoy this reading so much!**

**TO xxxBONESxxx: Wow, thanks! I love writing this story and it's still always a shock when people say things like that. Hope this chapter lived up to the wait! :)**

**TO LOVALYDISASTER: Thanks for the review! Keeping the story and plot interesting is difficult at times, but always worth the effort. :)**

**TO UNKNOWNDREAMER: Wendy would be amazing on iCarly! I wish they would put more of her too. **

**TO G: Eventually, we'll find out about Sam's dad but I've been leaving TONS of little hints to see who can figure it out. :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Hmm...maybe Melanie? Sasha? Possibly Missy (but probably not because I've never met a person named Missy before)?**

**TO WAKAWAKABABE: Aww, thanks! I have no idea how many chapters are left, but I can guarantee there is plenty to keep you entertained. :)**

**TO MISSKRESS: Not sure if you've made it to this chapter yet, but thanks! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	46. Love vs Lust

**Here's Chapter 46...enjoy!**

Freddie POV 5:30PM Day 12

"I didn't know that she could dance." Ms. Esposito comments, watching the stage from behind her table like a general studying a battlefield. I welcome the distraction, leaning back in my plush red chair before answering.

"Her mom entered her in beauty pageants when she was little." I explain, unable to completely divert my attention from the couple revolving around the center of the stage. Ms. Esposito had guided Sam to the stage twenty minutes ago and explained that she was going to be dancing with Pete at the Capulet ball. I had known that Juliet and Paris danced at the party, but it had never really sunk in that Sam would be dancing with Pete. At first it had been comical, mainly consisting of Sam dragging Pete around the stage as he desperately attempted to keep up with her unrelenting pace. Unfortunately, Pete was a fast learner and had learned enough to keep up with Sam, but only barely. My hands tighten on the armrests of my seat, watching as he gives her a spontaneous twirl (was he suicidal?) but Sam takes it gracefully, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"I don't know how he stood it." Ms. Esposito says, writing something down on her clipboard. I tear my eyes away from the couple on stage, prying open my gritted teeth to force out a response.

"Don't know how who stood what?" I ask, forcing all of my attention on the conversation. I doubted it could distract me, but it was worth a shot.

"Well, Romeo of course! I cannot imagine what it felt like to watch Juliet dancing with the competition." She says it in an off-hand way, carefully keeping her attention on the tedious notes she had been keeping. I swallow convulsively, a great effort required to make my voice normal.

"I bet it was difficult." I reply vaguely, my eyes darting to the stage and back before I can resist the temptation.

"At least he didn't have to stand it for long, now did he?" Ms. Esposito says, uncapping a highlighter and carefully annotating her notes.

"Romeo was way too impulsive." I swallow heavily, controlling my emotions before continuing. "That's how Juliet ended up dead."

"I agree." She pauses, but it's clear she isn't finished. "Many people question whether Romeo and Juliet ever _really_ loved each other or if it was just lust." I shrug, surprised at how reassuring it was to have some difference to set Romeo and I apart. Romeo and Juliet's "love" had been subject to a long, heated debate that still went on today, wondering if it could actually have been lust that drove the teenagers to ruin. There was no question, not even a hint of doubt, that I love Sam. It was nice to finally talk about Romeo as an entity entirely separate from myself; a separation that cleared my mind for the moment. Then I remembered that, no matter if Romeo had been in love or lust, he had crashed and burned exactly like I was inevitably spiraling downward right now. I could only hope that the crushing ground remained far below my steady plummet. The longer I was able to keep this up, the better.

"It all depends on your opinion of love and lust." I finally reply, watching the waltzing couple with defeat. It just looks wrong. Pete's hand shouldn't be able to rest his hand on her lower back and he definitely didn't need to hold her so close. This was one of the few times I've ever wanted to punch somebody. Ms. Esposito looks surprised at my answer, looking up at me with raised eyebrows.

"Oh?" She probes, asking me to continue. I keep my attention on the waltzing couple, my reply a flat monotone.

"It depends on the people, but I'm not sure that I believe in love at first sight." Pete twirls Sam again, laughing heartily as her smile brightened briefly. I swallow, unable to look away or stop myself from speaking. "Lust is falling in love with a person's looks and it can happen the instant you set eyes on them. Love is harder." My monotone falters, the waltz music dipping into a heart-wrenching slowness as if on cue. "It takes longer to love someone than to lust after someone. Love is when you finally wake up and realize that the person you least expect is exactly what you need. You would do anything for them, even if they never feel the same way. It's terrifying." My voice cracks but I force myself to keep going. "That's love." I chuckle at this, hating that it sounds so bitter. Ms. Esposito sets her pen down with exaggerated slowness and she folds her hands in her lap before replying.

"I agree." Nodding once in acknowledgement to her agreement, I continue to watch the couple on stage with concentration. It was nearly imperceptible, impossible for anybody who didn't know Sam like I did to see, but her smile was beginning to appear the tiniest bit forced. "Romeo." Ms. Esposito calls softly, pulling my attention away from Sam reluctantly. "For the purposes of this play, Romeo and Juliet are in love." She turns to her table and pulls out a remote, pointing it at a control panel above the stage and flipping the speakers off. "Love will sell tickets and lust will not." I look down, waiting for her to leave, but she lingers. "Was Frankie your inspiration for that little speech?" Ms. Esposito asks, her usually boundless energy suddenly leaving her. I keep my eyes on the ground but nod once. "I can empathize with him." I look up, startled.

"Don't you mean sympathize?" I call to her retreating figure. She doesn't turn, the way her shoulders suddenly sag saying more than her next three words ever could.

"No, I emphasize."

Sam POV 5:45PM Day 12

Sometimes I felt like someone was purposely trying to screw with me for the fun of it. I deserve it, every taunting second of this, but the really ironic thing is that-as much as it seemed wrong, betrayal to a commitment that wouldn't ever exist-this was all Mel had dreamed of. The music picks up and Pete spins me, his laugh only making my forced smile more painful.

What's even more ironic?

The only promise that Little Miss Perfect was determined to break was the one I would give anything to keep. We continue to revolve around the stage, the movement suddenly becoming sickening. Boys had never been a problem for Mel; they had been hanging on her every word since sixth grade, as evidenced by her frequent reports from boarding school. It would have been one thing to date, have fun, and keep everyone at a safe, arm length's distance. I hadn't known what she was really doing until she had come to visit and gone out with Freddie. The sickening stir of my stomach grows unbearable for a brief second at the thought, but I manage to hold myself together. Mel was _trying _to fall in love. It was unthinkable. Mel had watched as everything Mom had was destroyed and, by some desperate reasoning, decided that she didn't have time to wait for Prince Charming. She was going to find him herself, and then cling to him. Cling to him so tightly that he would never leave her, voluntarily or involuntarily.

She was setting herself up for pain but I've never tried to dissuade her. If that was what she wanted, what she really dreamed of, then I had already taken to much away from her to destroy another part of her life. The music suddenly cuts off and I turn to see Ms. Esposito approaching the stage. Pete releases my waist, pulling our palms apart with a wry smile.

"Very, very beautiful my chickens!" She calls enthusiastically, pausing at the edge of the stage. "Opening night is only eleven days away and we still have much to do! I'm sure you'll all be excited to hear that the props director has informed me that the sets will be complete later tonight! Very exciting indeed!" Ms. Esposito begins a long-winded stream of compliments to the makeup department, costume department, and set department for their outstanding work. I tune her out, my gaze probably vacant as I tried very hard not to think. "Now, I'm sure you all recall the lovely beach trip we took before our last production." A cheer came up, everyone except us newbies hooting in agreement. "Yes, well I received confirmation that we will be welcomed back with open arms next weekend." Ms. Esposito beams, bouncing with excitement.

Beach. Next weekend.

I anticipate the assault this time, fighting against the memory and quickly turning it away. I couldn't go. It would be unbearable. I force a deep breath, the buzz of energy and excitement not making anything any easier. Someone comes up behind me, the vanilla reaching me first but quickly pursued by a hint of cinnamon. Ms. Esposito seems to lock onto his movement, the constant vigor that animated her features disappearing at whatever she was seeing.

"Permission slips outside, my chickens." She whispers, her voice somehow still heard over the chatter. Veterans of the drama program do a double take, every bit as surprised as I would have been if I could feel anything. Numbness is the only thing I would let myself feel right now. Half of performers follow Ms. Esposito's gaze, all flinching when their gaze landed on us. Freddie hovers closer, his irregular breathing audible. "Romeo, Juliet." Ms. Esposito calls softly, the other half of the drama department turning to look at us. They, just like the rest, flinch away from whatever they see; but I can't find the emotion to care one bit. "Stay behind please." Ms. Esposito waits, looking up at the stage patiently until the first performer takes a hesitant step towards the exit. She inclines her head, just slightly, and the rest file out quickly. Carly is the only one that looks back, her eyes wide with surprise, but she isn't able to hold the focus for more than a few seconds before averting her eyes. Freddie shifts forward, not noticing the way his hand rests against mine lightly. The numbness begins to retreat, weakening at his touch. I pull away, the tingling in my hand crying out in protest.

"Stop." Ms. Esposito whispers, pulling me out of my thoughts. I somehow find the will to look up; the tightness in my chest squeezing my heart so tightly that it might cease to beat at all. "There." Ms. Esposito whispers, pointing at us as she pulled herself onto the stage. "I need this." She says quietly, gesturing between us.

"Need what?" His voice is a choked whisper, answering the very question he had just asked. I look sideways at him for the first time, startled by the fierce misery etched in every line of his face. He was hurting, for some reason I didn't know but I wanted to know, I really did. That surprised me more than anything. I knew why people had flinched away. We both had to look slightly tragic, but this…this was exactly what she wanted.

"I have been instructing in the dramatic arts for years and have directed countless productions." She takes a step closer, her gaze turning to the floor before she continues. "It is a rare quality of an actor," She looks up, gesturing to Freddie. "-or an actress-" Ms. Esposito turns to me, blinking at my expression. "-to truly understand and correctly portray the emotions of a character to the fullest extent that the author intends. If you can look as you do now when you see your love dead on stage, I will sell many tickets and every review will rave of our production. For this look-" Her eyes flick between us before settling on me again. "-is one of death." I flinch, noticing Freddie's similar reaction out of the corner of my eye. "Will you be able to come tomorrow?" She asks, pulling her clipboard away from her side and making a note of something.

"Tomorrow?" I ask at the same time as Freddie, automatically locking gazes for a second. His eyes were soft, the brown as unfailingly chocolate as ever, but the imagery is ruined by the misery etched so deeply that I doubted it would ever come out. I force my eyes away, not missing the step he takes to hover at my side.

"Ivan has told me that sets will be completed tonight. It would be best to rehearse some of the more…more…" She waves her hand, desperately looking for the right word. "Ahh!" Ms. Esposito cries in sudden triumph. "It would be best to rehearse some of the more compromising scenes." My heart stops, hoping that I had heard wrong. "Tomorrow morning then, eleven o'clock sharp!" Ms. Esposito's face lights up in its usual energy before turning to slide of the stage carefully. "Oh!" She turns back, focusing her attention on me. "Juliet, you do not have back problems, do you?"

"No." I answer immediately, the obvious follow up question on the tip of my tongue when Ms. Esposito takes care of it herself.

"One particular moment requires Juliet to be pushed into a wall, so safety first, yes?" And, with that, she gathers her papers and leaves me with a lump in my throat, a throbbing in my head, and the mental image of me being pushed against a wall by-

"I'm going to call my mom to pick us up." Freddie says, his voice wavering as he tries and fails to play it cool. He was probably concerned that I would break his arm the second he pushed me against a wall. It was back again, the vivid mental picture suddenly accompanied by the memory of his lips yesterday. I silently curse Shakespeare with the worst words I can think of (believe me, they were pretty colorful), the mental image forcing itself on me. His hands on my waist, in my hair, everywhere-

"She said she'd be here in five minutes." He says, returning his phone to his pocket and running a hand through his hair shakily. "Just Romeo and Juliet, right?" Freddie laughs nervously, pretty much summing up my list of reasons why I would be able to live through this. It wasn't a long list.

I would be burning every single work of Shakespeare's that I had the misfortune to see from now on.

**So...what did you think? Completely Seddie or completely suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Oh, I know that you guys (and girls) probably already know this, but the difference between empathy and sympathy is this: sympathy is when you've never been through what the person you're sympathizing with is going through, but you still feel bad for them. Empathy is when you've been through what the person you're empathizing with is going through and can relate to their exact feelings. That's why it's so important that Ms. Esposito empathizes with Freddie in this chapter. **

**Wow, amazing response for last chapter! I broke my record for reviews, so HUGE thanks to: Delenaseddieluv, SuperSumer, Misskress, mirage888, leodoglover, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, coketree20, XcrozzybabezX, ober22, xx-SamxFreddie-x, EeLlLlAa, Gabsikle, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, violet0scar, Mari13ssa, Geekquality, PurpleMousefurGomez, ChaosKeks, veeheart914, Seddielovergrl, iMaximumSeddie, Ivyheart, Castle-of-Bones, LovalyDisaster, Mystapleza, M U L T I S E D D I E, justjb, Kpfan72491, xBeckyBooHerex, HugsandBugsSmileyface, Phoenix-chick12, G, Mardelzor, Seddieforeverx3, Jane Vulturis Black, iPeppyCola, chocolate fish, youarethelight, SeddieShortBus, Intemporel, seddieroxxmysoxx, Seddieforeverx3, and icecoffee18! Want a cool shout out like these awesome people? All you've got to do is review! :)**

**TO DELENA SEDDIE LUV: Glad you liked it! I hope this chapter was just as good! :)**

**TO MISSKRESS: Wow, thanks! I love writing and this story is particularly fun to write, so I won't be stopping until I finish. :)**

**TO VEEHEART914: The performance is going to be kind of clichéd but will turn into something that none of you will expect, promise. )**

**TO iMAXIMUMSEDDIE: Aww, thanks! Clearing 1,000 was definitely amazing and I can't wait to see how many reviews this story ends up with. :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Sure, I'll hear it. :)**

**TO LOVALYDISASTER: Sorry about that, I know what it's like to get to the end of a chapter and want more. Glad you liked the chapter anyways! :)**

**TO G: Haha, awkwardness is extremely fun to write. Hope you liked this chapter too. :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Yeah, my other story was just me testing the waters of fanfiction. I think it could be improved a lot, but I probably will leave it like it is anyway. Thanks! :)**

**TO INTEMPOREL: Wow, thanks! I'm glad it's an interesting storyline because what's the point of reading something if it isn't interesting? Hope this chapter live up to expectations. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please take a little time to review! :D**


	47. Hollow

**New chapter! Read on...**

Freddie POV 6:15PM Day 12

"What on Earth was that about?" I demand the second Sam slams the van door and hurries into the lobby of Bushwell Plaza. Mom calmly unsnaps her seatbelt, taking the key out of the ignition before turning to face me.

"What do you mean, Fredward?" She asks innocently, wide-eyed in fake surprise. I point an accusing finger, unbelieving that she was actually attempting to deny it.

"Why were you being so mean to Sam? Don't tell me it's because she's a rude girl because you've NEVER been this horrible to her before!" I'm furious now, my voice rising to almost a shout towards the end. It had been ridiculous. If things weren't already bad enough, Mom had come to pick us up after the incredibly draining (not to mention awkward) rehearsal. I didn't catch all of the look that Mom had given Sam, but it wasn't hard to feel the hostility radiating off of her. Sam had already been unnaturally quiet, her behavior oddly contained. Every since Ms. Esposito had mentioned our 'looks of death', her expression had gone blank, giving nothing away.

_Controlled_

I hated this Sam. It was wrong, all wrong, and there was nothing I could do to help because she didn't trust me. My chest constricts at the thought, wanting her to trust me so badly that it actually hurt.

At first, Mom had refused to even consider giving Sam a ride to Bushwell Plaza. Sam had nodded in acceptance, even taking the first steps to start the long walk, when I had grabbed her arm to stop her. She had looked up, her face unnaturally pale ever since Ms. Esposito had brought up the beach trip, and pushed me away while mumbling something about how she was perfectly capable of getting to Carly's herself. I had taken one look at the dark clouds and, resisting her weak insistences that she could take care of herself, wrapped my arm around her. I was surprised at how easily Sam had given in, allowing me to guide her to the car with hollow silence. That was how she seemed really.

_Hollow_

Mom had eyed my arm around Sam's shoulders like it was the plague itself, her eyes consumed with burning hostility. I couldn't figure out why her hatred of Sam was deeper than her dislike of Carly had ever been. Sure, Sam had caused me physical and emotional harm for a large portion of my life, but it still didn't explain why the hostility had come so late. Finally, after a long series of promises, pleas, and demands, Mom had unlocked the door of the van for us.

"I don't like her." Mom finally replies, pouting just the tiniest bit. I'm pulled back to the present, my anger returning quickly.

"I know that. It still doesn't give you the right to treat her like she's trash." I fire back heatedly, watching the first drops of rain roll down the windshield.

"I've had enough!" Mom explodes, all hint of pouting replaced by anger. "I don't like that Carly girl but I still let you associate with her because she has some sense of morality!" She huffs angrily, her eyes darkening in rage. "Sam is trouble and I simply cannot have you exposed!"

"Sam's been my friend for a while, even if it doesn't seem like it sometimes, so when did you suddenly decide that you hate her so much?" I reply with venom, my voice rising to her level.

"I know she was in your bed with Freddie, I could smell strawberries on one of the pillows!" Mom retorts, folding arms across her chest. This what Sam had been talking about in the parking lot only a few days ago, something I hoped would never come up.

"It wasn't like that Mom!" I protest, the heat in my face glaringly obvious. She scoffs, rolling her eyes.

"How can I trust you? I mean, I hardly see you anymore! You missed your tick bath this week and you wouldn't take your new vitamins and you're just slipping away…" She trails off, her anger replaced by anxiety.

"Slipping away?" I chuckle, a little breathless. "Mom, I'm growing up."

"No, she's stealing you!" Mom slaps the steering wheel for emphasis. "That rotten delinquent is stealing you!" My jaw drops and I probably look like one of those cartoon characters when they've just received the most shocking news.

"Stealing me?" I finally repeat, wondering where she came up with this stuff.

"Yes, stealing you! Where have you been every night this week?" She lets the question hang in the air, waiting for me to prove her point.

"Rehearsals! I told you that I had to do this because it looks good on my college applications." I manage to calm down, realizing that shouting wasn't going to prove anything.

"Well…" Mom sputters, gesturing wildly as she looked for another complaint. "Why was the delinquent there then?" She snorts contemptuously, eyeing the lobby that Sam had disappeared into a few minutes ago. "She probably doesn't even know what a college application is." My blood begins to boil at the insult, whatever truth it may have held, but I manage to hide my growing anger.

"She's one of the leads." Mom turns in surprise at this and I barely restrain a smirk. "That means that she has to memorize tons of lines and, last time I checked, that requires both intelligence and effort."

"A monkey can memorize things too." She mutters under her breath, clearly unimpressed. My blood boils again and I don't attempt to hide my glare this time. Mom decides to change the subject. "Why were you there this late?" She chuckles, reaching out to pinch my cheek and completely ignoring my glare. "Showing the producers how it's done?" It would be easy to lie, a skill that I had picked up from Sam, but I suddenly wanted to tell the truth. Not because I was afraid of feeling guilty later, but because it would piss my Mom off to no end. She deserved it after what she had said acted with Sam.

"No, actually. They decided to do Romeo and Juliet this year and I'm pretty sure everything is almost done." Mom stiffens at the mention of the play we were performing, but I ignore her. "It's funny really. Who would have thought that Sam would make the best Juliet?" I laugh easily, loving the look of horror on her face. My van door opens easily and I step out, smiling at the taste of redemption.

"Wait! What were you playing again?" Mom calls before I can close the door, her fingers literally crossed against the horrible possibility. "I think you'd make a great Capulet. Is Tybalt taken already? Tybalt is a good part." She nods her head vigorously before continuing. "He doesn't do anything with Juliet because she's his cousin or something." She nods again. "That's a very good part." I pretend to look offended, cutting her off.

"It hurts to think you underestimated me so much." Her horror grows as my smile returns, her hands twitching convulsively. "I personally think that Romeo suits me. Don't you?" I slam the door before she can respond, loving the feel of rain on my skin and smiling up at the black clouds. Laughing under my breath at my victory, I push away thoughts of the consequences of such a frank dealings with Mom and head to the lobby with sloshing footsteps. Lewbert's curses have never been so enjoyable.

Sam POV 6:20PM Day 12

I open the door, wincing at the loud creaking sound it made. My house was pitch black, the darkness threatening to swallow me whole. I look back at the car waiting in the driveway, the steel grip of fear crushing my chest. Carly waves, smiling reassuringly and Spencer gives me a thumbs up. I turn back and take the first step, the darkness making everything that much worse. My eyes squeeze shut tightly, the memory playing out with terrifying inevitability.

_A white room with blinding artificial light, silent except for a faint beeping, and no memory of how I had gotten there. I strain to remember something, anything, but I can't. My only thought is that I had to get out of here and find him. I wasn't 100% sure who the __**him**__ was, but I would figure it out later. All that mattered was finding him. Pulling the breathing tube off of my nose and ignoring the beeps of protest as I sat up, I peel the remaining tubes off of me as quickly as my shaky hands would allow. The room spins and my head throbs, my stomach protesting violently. Luckily, I don't have anything to throw up. I get to my feet, wincing at the soreness that was on the borderline of pain. It felt like I was bruised all over, my muscles ready to give out at any second. Nurses suddenly barge in, no doubt alerted by the machines, and the first nurse pulls me back towards the bed while murmuring reassurances. I strain against her, desperately searching for strength that didn't exist. Another nurse steps forward and my stomach lurches, bile filling my mouth for the second time. I don't try to swallow it this time, knowing that it would only come back up. The second nurse gives a small cry of surprise as she slips, falling back onto the other nurses. I fight against the first nurse, unable to do much else but kick the air. She halts our progress back to the hospital bed, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind as my kicks grow more frantic. It was a matter of life or death and he, whoever he was, needed me. The nurse calls for assistance, a man in blue scrubs hurrying into the room. I jerk sideways in an attempt to break her grip but my head makes contact with something hard, probably the wall. My headache explodes into dazzling spots of light, the pain unbearable. Somebody forces my arm straight, a sharp poke into my elbow and then I was falling…._

Luckily, I'm far enough inside that Spencer and Carly don't see me collapse to my knees. I try not to think, wishing that I hadn't remembered. The wind slams the door shut behind me and I cringe as the complete silence is shattered. Forcing myself to my feet, I push forward, careful not to remember any more of the hospital stay that I didn't deserve.

I _should_ be dead.

I pass the kitchen silently, no sound except my shallow breathing to break the darkness. I don't bother to try the lights, knowing exactly why she had turned them all off. Something brushes my leg and I jump, crushing myself against a wall. I don't scream, unwilling to break the silence, but my heart is probably pounding loud enough to be audible. Frothy meows plaintively, looking up at me for the first time with bright eyes that light up the darkness like flashlights. I reach down with shaking hands, stroking him and silently indicating that he should follow me. He drops behind me, warily eyeing the doorways branching into the hallway. He's been through this four times and knows exactly what to expect by now. I continue silently, swallowing convulsively when we pass the living room.

No sign of her yet. Yet.

I may actually make it this year. The staircase at the end of the impossibly long hallway is only ten feet away now and I'm almost-. Something slams into me, pinning me against the wall with the force of a freight train, her hands _jumping forward to crush my arms. She shakes me viciously like a rag doll, the monitors protesting as tubes and needles of all sorts are pulled out of me, but I'm still too paralyzed by the death in her eyes to do anything. Everything except her is a blur, the doctors and nurses that rush to my aid and Mel's shrieks barely recognizable over her eyes. Time slows down, her hands tightening on my arms until my bones feel like they're going to snap and the accusation is hissed in a whisper, audible only to me._

"Get out." She hisses, forcing me back to the present with another shake. I swallow, unable to meet the accusation in her eyes, and ease out of her grip. I dash up the stairs, my heart pounding in my ears as the memories pushed closer and closer until I was suffocating. The next thing I was aware of was attempting to fill Frothy's food dish with hands that refuse to be still. A huge flash of lightening illuminates the pitch blackness through my curtains, the ensuing crack of thunder making me drop the food bowl entirely. I give up, stroking Frothy one last time before locking my bedroom door from the inside and shoving the first clothes my hands come in contact with into my backpack. Slinging the backpack over my shoulder, I fumble with the curtains until I finally manage to open them, revealing the thunderstorm raging outside. Before I can hesitate, I throw open the balcony door and step outside, careful to leave it unlocked. Lightning flashes, thunder rumbling the next second and lasting for over a minute. I hurry to the edge of the balcony, carefully gauging the best spot to drop my backpack to the ground. It falls to the ground with a dull thud, barely audible over the pouring rain, and I hurry to the trellis on the side of the house. My numb fingers grip the trellis carefully and I begin my descent, trying not to think about the fall if I accidently let go. After a few terrifying seconds, I finally reach the bottom and race to my backpack. Lightning flashes again and the sharp crack of thunder chases me to the Shay's waiting car. I slip, barely catching my balance on the frame of the car and struggle with the slippery handle to pull the door open. After a few seconds of cursing the stupid design of Spencer's car, I finally succeed in opening the door and I throw myself inside the car to get out of the pouring rain.

"She's okay with you moving out for this week?" Carly asks anxiously, every bit as concerned as she was when this had happened for the last four times. I readjust the backpack and put on my seatbelt after Spencer gives me a look, waiting to pull out of the driveway.

"She said to have fun. Just like the other times." I jump violently when the thunder rumbles again, almost shaking the small car with its force.

"Are you okay?" Carly looks at me in pity and I look away, hating every second of it.

"I'm fine." I know she sees through my weak attempt at a lie, but I want her to see through it. There is no way she'll believe that I wasn't upset. The key was to not let her know how upset I actually was. I press my forehead to the cool glass, closing my eyes and trying very hard not to think.

Carly didn't know everything, and that was the way I intended to keep it.

"Hey, you up for some B. F. Wangs?" Carly asks from the front seat, thankfully keeping her attention on the road ahead of us. That way I don't have to pretend to look excited.

"Of course, Carls."

**If Sam's POV confused you a little bit, then just know that it's supposed to be a little confusing so don't worry about it. :)**

**So...what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review?**

**Thanks so much for all of the reviews! Thanks to: ChaosKeks, Delenaseddieluv, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, iMaximumSeddie, seddieroxxmysoxx, golbar, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, twilightcrazed999, ober22, Virgoleo23, forevarSdd1, LovalyDisaster, leodoglover, Seddieforeverx3, Jane Vulturis Black, Just Another Random Reader, coketree20, Mystapleza, Geekquality, M U L T I S E D D I E, Misskress, PartyPooper845, Seddielovergrl, SeddieShortBus, mirage888, PurpleMousefurGomez, G, Phoenix-chick12, Kpfan72491, HugsandBugsSmileyface, chocolate fish, Castle-of-Bones, Mari13ssa, FanFicCrazy24, Mardelzor, Thalico 4 evah, iPeppyCola, and dqlisa!**

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: Aww, thanks! Hope this chapter was worth the wait! :)**

**TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: Glad you liked last chapter! I'll try to keep the good chapters coming. :)**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: Yes, more compromising scenes to come! Haha, love the French bit! :D**

**TO FOREVARSDD1: Wow, your favorite? Thanks! Don't worry, Ms. Esposito will be having a conversation with Sam and Freddie that will clear up your worries about her being a little bit of a creep (sorry it came across that way).**

**TO LOVALYDISASTER: Haha, sorry to leave you hanging there. I have to try to keep the chapters at a manageable length though.**

**TO MISSKRESS: Glad you liked last chapter, hope this chapter was good enough for the week wait! :)**

**TO G: Yay, Ms. Esposito FTW! xD**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Merry Christmas to you too! I'm actually going to be super busy over vacation but I'll try to update when possible. :)**

**TO DQLISA: Here's the next chapter. Hope you liked it! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	48. Growing Up

**Happy Holidays, everyone! Sorry this chapter is late, but I had family stuff all weekend. :)**

**Enjoy!**

Freddie POV 7:20PM Day 12

It had been a long-winded argument, one that I hadn't enjoyed but one that was inevitable all the same. I was, as much as I tried to deny it, a true mama's boy and I didn't like fighting with my mom. Sure, it had been an amazing feeling to give her what was coming to her when she treated Sam that way, but that just meant that her anger (when she finally managed to make it up to our apartment) was just about as bad as Durth Validor's fury when Nug-Nug escaped in episode eight of Galaxy Wars. So, yeah, I'm still a little shocked I escaped with my life.

I hadn't bothered trying to go to Carly's after I had left the van, partly because the last person Mom needed (or deserved) to see was Sam, and partly because I didn't want to subject Carly or Spencer to my mother any more than possible. The fight had been horrible at first, both of us throwing accusations at the other until Mom asked the question that stopped me in my tracks.

_Why do you care about her so much?_

I hadn't been able to come up with an answer immediately and Mom had taken full advantage.

_You never fought for Carly like this. I call her a dummy, she's actually quite intelligent I believe, and you don't do anything! One word about Sam being a delinquent, which she is, and you're fighting me to the death!_

I had immediately protested the use of 'delinquent' to describe Sam before I realized that I was proving her point. In a desperate attempt to distract her, I had offered the unthinkable: the truth about the night I had saved Sam's life. I had left a few details out (only the most incriminating) but the story was pretty much word for word what had happened. She had listened in silence, giving no hint of her opinions, which only made it that much worse. When I had finally finished, the dead silence continued for a solid minute before she finally spoke.

_I think it's time you saw the letters._

The letters. I'd been trying to convince her to let me see them for years, a rite of passage that had never taken place because Mom had never been willing to let me grow up.

"My baby boy…" She whispers, her voice shaking. I look up, the tears sparkling in her eyes making my stomach drop. Instead of saying something, I wait. I knew this day would come eventually. The day when she finally realized that I wasn't the five year old she had stubbornly clung to. It was surprising how well she was taking it. We sat like this for awhile, both silently running through the memories we had shared. Some of the best would sound like the most routine thing to some, but there had always been a part of me (however small that part grew as I matured) that reveled in the feeling of being loved and looked after so carefully. No matter how much teasing it provoked or how annoying it became, I always knew that Mom did what she did because she loved me.

A few in particular stood out:

My first bicycle ride (age 12….she heard somewhere that riding bicycles heightened your risk of getting heat stroke) when I had worn full football pads and helmet to pedal around the front of Bushwell Plaza (_There are hobos at the park, Freddie!_) and, though it had been extremely frustrating to bicycle up and down a twenty foot sidewalk, it had been exhilarating all the same.

My first tick bath (age 5) which thankfully was blocked out of my memory to prevent permanent scarring, but was treasured because she loved me enough to buy incredibly overpriced soap to rid me of ticks I didn't even have.

My first date (age 13), something I was surprised she had EVER let happen. Her logic? "Well she dresses nice, uses proper English, and is a living, breathing girl that actually wants to go out with you, so why not?" I can't help but laugh under my breath at how horrible Valerie had turned out to be. Last time I ever listened to my mom's opinion about girls.

Mom gets up abruptly, treading down the hallway in the direction of her bedroom. I wait silently, staring at the table and trying to mentally prepare myself. She finally reenters the room, carrying a box gingerly, as if it would explode in her hands. Her eyes are red-rimmed, her cheeks damp, and her mouth quivering. Mom pauses, staring at me like I was a stranger, and I get up slowly. She allows me to wrap my arms around her in a tight hug, but she still clings to the box like it was her life line. Pulling away after an immeasurable amount of time, I look down at her and reach for the box. She pulls away immediately, finally breaking down into sobs.

"NO! I won't do it, I w-won't let you read them! Y-you aren't ready yet!" She argues frantically through tears as I take a hesitant step closer.

"Yes, I am." Mom shakes her head at my quiet assertion, pulling the box closer to her chest.

"You aren't grown up, you aren't ready yet!" She protests, wailing when I take another step towards her.

"Mom." I pause, waiting for her to look me in the eye. "I am grown up. I don't know what made you realize that, but you need to remember it. I'll always, always be your baby boy in some ways, I promise." Not a second after I finish, Mom blurts out her one true fear about me growing up.

"How can I trust that? How…how can I _know_ that you're grown up now? How can I let you go if I don't _know_?" She demands, her voice choked up in sobs by now.

"Because you raised me." Mom looks up in astonishment, having never considered this before. "You did it Mom. You did it. It's been just you for the last twelve years and you did it." She smiles at this, the tears of sadness mingling with tears of happiness. As much as I wanted to be strong and firm right now, I just can't. My eyes sting, just a little bit, as I plow forward. "I'm a good guy Mom, I really am. There's a lot of jerks out there today and, even if you used unconventional methods, you made sure I was taught right. Thank you for that." I gently reach out and pull the box out of her now limp grasp, weighing the infinitely precious package in my hand. "You taught me how to be a gentleman, but only he can teach me how to be a man."

Carly POV 7:30PM Day 12

This was the fifth time that Sam had chosen to move out of her house completely, the memories probably suffocating her to the point where she had to get away. Sam was always welcome here, and Spencer had agreed to maintain that even when Dad returned home, whenever that would be. The clicking of the lock brings me back to the present, shaking my head once to clear it, and I follow Spencer into our apartment.

"Still no answer yet?" I ask, pulling off my thick coat and hanging it up carefully. Sam trails in behind me, following me towards the kitchen slowly.

"No." Sam answers dully, putting her cell phone back in her pocket. "Why do you need him?"

"Uh…just need to borrow his laptop to look…something…up." I respond nervously, entering the kitchen and opening the fridge.

"Well, the nub hasn't answered by now, so he probably won't answer at all." Sam says, getting cups from the cupboard and setting them on the table. I pull out the Wahoo Punch and shrug, deciding that I'd just have to wait to get Mya the Wake Up Spencer footage. Speaking of which…

"Hey, why didn't you tell me that you did a Wake Up Spencer last night?" I ask casually, not missing when Sam fumbles the apple she had picked up to inspect. She stoops to the floor, picking it up almost too quickly.

"Just…just forgot, I guess." I don't buy it, pouring the Wahoo Punch silently until she followed up on her subtle panic. "Um, Carls?" She asks about a minute later, just as I've bent down to return the Wahoo Punch to the fridge.

"Yeah, Sam?" I ask innocently, straightening.

"Last night's Wake Up Spencer is posted on the iCarly site?" She asks, taking a quick sip of her punch.

"Yeah, you didn't know?" I answer, genuinely confused that Sam had no idea it was posted. "You wanna see?"

"Better make it quick, my plans for punishing Fredface are becoming more creative as we speak." She answers, not joking one bit. I nod, grabbing my Wahoo Punch and sitting at the stool in front of the computer. Sam settles herself in the stool next to me, taking absent sips of her punch. I start the video silently, watching Sam's reaction to the video carefully. The second the video starts, disbelief and even fear flashing across her features when she recognizes that this is, in fact, the Wake Up Spencer she was so nervous about. Her nervousness disappears quickly, fading to her trademark I'm-so-bored-I-may-just-sleep-to-have-something-to-do expression. Despite her convincing casualness, I can't help but notice that, as the video progresses, her grip on her cup becomes tighter. Then we reach the part where Spencer claims that he knows Romeo and Juliet and Sam's fingers turn white with the strain she was putting on them. I edge away carefully, hoping that the plastic cup didn't give out under Sam's ever constricting grip.

Spencer giggles like a first grade girl, collapsing back onto the pillows and he begins to snore softly. Sam exhales audibly, her fingers growing limp and dropping the empty plastic cup to the ground with a sharp clatter. I watch in semi-shock as the gossip girl's hunch about the Wake Up Spencer was proved before my very eyes. Sam bends down quickly, scooping up the cup and heading back to the kitchen for a refill. It's pretty obvious that she doesn't want me to study her anymore than I already have. I hated to push her now, especially after she'd chosen to move out for the week again this year, but it was for her eventual happiness, right? It was, and I wanted her to be happy.

"Hey, Sam?" I ask casually, slowly entering the kitchen with measured innocence. Sam looks up, setting down the pitcher and picking up her refilled cup of Wahoo Punch. "So Freddie didn't leave his computer here?" She doesn't make the connection, taking a sip of punch before scrunching her eyebrows up in confusion.

"Why would I know where Frednerd's computer is?" She asks, walking around me to collapse onto the couch. I shrug, turning to face the couch.

"Just wondering." I reply lightly, sitting down next to Sam and helping her find a show we could agree on. It was a harder task than you would imagine.

"Project Runway? You've got to be kidding, Carls." Sam scoffs, flipping the channel against my protests. I was just about to argue that "Monster Truck Mania" was by no means better than one of my favorite TV shows (after Girly Cow, of course) when Spencer interrupts.

"CARLY! SAM!" Spencer calls, sprinting down the stairs and skidding to a stop in front of us. "I just had the best idea!" He announces, ignoring Sam's muttered complaints about him blocking the TV. I decide to humor him, being the good little sister that I am.

"What was your idea?" Spencer barely gives me time to finish asking before he cuts in.

"I had an idea for a new sculpture! It's going to be pure, undiluted AWESOMENESS!" I frown, wondering about the sculpture he's been working about for the last week and a half.

"What about the Panda sculpture?" Spencer's mood immediately deflates, his shoulders slumping.

"I'll finish it later. Bending bamboo is really hard." He complains, sighing dramatically. Sam has completely tuned us out by now, leaning almost off of the couch so she can see around Spencer.

"Aww…I'm sorry. What is this idea of…'awesomeness'?" Spencer immediately brightens, bouncing with excitement again.

"I am going to build a GIGANTIC, eight-foot tall HUMMINGBIRD!" Sam spits out her Wahoo Punch, choking and sputtering loudly. Spencer and I stare at her, wondering what her problem was. **(A/N: Chapter 40 reference)**

"Where did you get that idea?" Sam rasps, still coughing up Wahoo Punch. Spencer's excitement returns, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Well, I was working on the Panda sculpture and this piece of bamboo just would NOT bend!" He sniffs pathetically. "Meanie." Sam's full attention is fixed on him, motioning for Spencer to hurry along with his answer. "That MEANIE snapped up and hit me in the FACE!"

"Oh my gosh! Are you hurt?" I ask in almost motherly concern, getting up and inspecting his face carefully.

"I'm fine." Spencer insists, continuing with his story. "Anyways, while I was knocked out, I had the most amazing dream!" I sit back down, satisfied that Spencer was really okay. Sam, impatient as ever, is (for no apparent reason) dead set on understanding Spencer's logic. Good luck with that one. "In my dream, it was really dark and all I could hear was this really loud thumping."

"Like a heartbeat?" Sam interjects, her voice oddly breathy. It's almost sounds like she's struggling to breathe, but that couldn't be right. Sam Puckett didn't struggle for breath over anything, especially not a hummingbird.

"Yes!" Spencer points at Sam in triumph, pumping his free hand. "That's what is sounded like! So the heart started to beat faster and faster until suddenly there were a bunch of hummingbirds lighting up the darkness like fireflies! FIREFLIES! FIREFLIES!" Spencer is gone as quickly as he had come, hurrying up the stairs to start his sculpture of "awesomeness". Sam continues to stare at the spot Spencer had just vacated, her expression unreadable.

"Sam?" It comes out as a question, but I wasn't sure how else to get her attention. Sam doesn't respond, instead muttering something under her breath. I only catch the words "hummingbird", "stupid", and "Benson" before she gets to her feet and stumbles to the door. Sam fumbles with the chain for a minute, finally succeeding in latching the door shut. She turns back to couch, appearing slightly surprised to see me still perched on one of the cushions. She immediately catches my concern, her unreadable expression hardening.

"I'm just a little tired, Carly." She explains before I can ask. "Can we talk about it tomorrow?" Sam waits, her expression softening once again when I nod reluctantly. "Thanks, Carls." I get off the couch, heading up the stairs as Sam opens her still unpacked backpack of clothes and begins hunting for pajamas. At the very top of the first flight of stairs, I turn to face the front door, wondering where Freddie had been all this time and imagining his confusion when he discovered that Sam had locked the chain on him tonight.

Freddie Benson had been locked out once again.

**So...what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Okay, I feel like I should say this now. The next few chapters are probably going to be confusing in some parts until all is finally revealed (it will be revealed, I promise). So if you have any questions, you can leave a review or PM me so I can clear something up or nudge you in the right direction. Thank you so much for all of your support!**

**My AWESOME reviewers: ober 22, Phoenix-chick12, Kpfan72491, Mari13ssa, M U L T I S E D D I E, ChaosKeks, Loulock, violet0scar, forevarSdd1, mirage888, bella3590, iMaximumSeddie, coketree20, Geekquality, twilightcrazed999, leodoglover, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mystapleza, Misskress, veeheart914, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, LettersFromTheHeart, delenaseddieluv, G, seddieroxxmysoxx, alwayssmiling11, Mardelzor, icecoffee18, Castle-of-Bones, Thalico 4 evah, iPeppyCola, chocolate fish, RobSp1derp1g, Moela Rose, Ivyheart, LoV3 C0nV3rSe, and kelseighrox925!**

**TO FOREVARSDD1: Happy Holidays! Tension is building until something has gotta give, isn't it? :) **

**TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: Glad Mrs. Benson made you like the chapter more! She was in this chapter, so I hope she added that great, annoying touch again. :)**

**TO MISSKRESS: Yep, there will be lots of clues in the coming chapters about what happened and I hope you catch them! :)**

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: Glad to hear it! I hope you liked this chapter too! :)**

**TO G: Rebellious Freddie: he's growing up and his mom can't accept it.**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Isn't there at least a few big storms a year in Seattle? Hope you got the iPad you wanted! :)**

**TO IVYHEART: Merry Christmas! I think that's a good idea for a story and I would definitely check it out if you wrote it! I don't watch Supernatural and I don't think the Twilight movies did the books justice. We set a new rain record where I live too!**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	49. Dr Ian Wheeler

**Happy New Year! Enjoy...**

Freddie POV 2:48AM Day 13

It had been a long night. Mom had made a valiant effort to force me to bed at nine o'clock, but I had resisted until she had finally given up. To my surprise, she hadn't gone to bed, instead choosing to doze off and eventually fall into a deep sleep on the kitchen table where I was. I read for hours, but if felt like minutes, precious minutes that couldn't last long enough. Dad wrote very well, even though the letters were styled as a journal entry for his own personal use. Each letter had four to twelve journal entries, but the majority had been sent on a weekly basis. They were sometimes humorous, sometimes somber, at times thought provoking, but always uniquely branded by him. He talked about everything: computers, war, his buddies, books, death, movies, music, Seattle, etc. I'm fairly certain he talked about every topic on Earth, even reaching out to space in a few of his more interesting letters. But every letter, every single one, ended with at least a paragraph addressed to us personally.

Mom snorts in her sleep, muttering something incomprehensive, and I finish the last letter. I'd like to say my eyes were completely dry, but I'd have never told a bigger lie. Counting the letters as I carefully place them back in the box, I frown.

"Mom." I murmur, shaking her arm gently. She jumps to wakefulness and I shush her to calm her down. "It's okay, it's okay. Is a letter missing?" I whisper, hoping Mom can understand through her sleepiness.

"Oh." She breathes deeply, rubbing her eyes and getting to her feet. I hesitate when she exits the kitchen, seemingly knowing exactly what I was talking about. I decide to follow her: down the narrow hallway and into her obsessively clean bedroom. She reaches under her pillow, pulling out a piece of paper and holding it to her chest. Mom closes her eyes, humming softly to herself. It's not a familiar tune, but it's so enchantingly heartbreaking that I couldn't interrupt her if I wanted to. She finally wrenches the letter away from her chest, the effort required for such a simple task seemingly superhuman. As if she's offering her heart, Mom proffers the letter with labored breaths and sightless eyes. I take it hesitantly, the date branding itself in my brain. It was the last letter he had ever sent. It's somehow fitting that his last letter is classically sarcastic but ends on a serious note. I read it for a second time, and then again for a third time, to suck every single drop of wisdom out of the letter. By the time I look up, Mom has fallen asleep on her bed, but her expression betrays her tormented thoughts. I silently replace the letter, not missing the immediate shift from torment to only slight discomfort from something that she couldn't possibly have felt in sleep.

Sleep. The word falls foreign in my thoughts, the concept unfathomable in my present state. I exit Mom's room, silently thanking her for making sure her door didn't squeak, and back into the hallway wall.

Where did you go from here?

Sam POV 5:58AM Day 13

The sound would have been ignorable if it hadn't been accompanied by the spastic vibrating of my phone. Muttering curses under my breath, I blindly look for the source of the commotion. There was no way in hell I was going to open my eyes, not while the possibility of sleep still lingered. My hand bumps into my cell phone on the coffee table, sending it skidding onto the floor in front of the TV. Screw it. Whoever was trying to call me could wait.

Just as I had fallen back into the blissful recesses of blackness, my accursed cell phone starts spazzing out again. Not even bothering to keep my vulgar language down this time, I roll off of the couch and onto the floor. Unfortunately, Freddie isn't here to break my fall this time and every ounce of air is forced out of my lungs. Persevering, I crawl my way towards the vibrating cell phone that I was personally going to crush with a sledgehammer, and picked up.

"Sam?" Comes a familiar whisper, thick with something I didn't recognize. I rub my eyes in defeat, finally accepting that sleep was lost for the moment. Normally, I would have responded with some razor sharp insult or smart ass comment to get him back for waking me up at god knows how early in the morning, but the thickness in his voice stops me. Something was up.

"What?" I ask, sitting up and leaning against the coffee table.

"Are you okay?" The question is so unexpected, so irrelevant, so startlingly penetrating into what I thought I had hidden so well, that I don't respond immediately. Freddie seems to notice my breathing pick up over the line and misinterprets my terror for anger. "I'm sorry for calling, I really am, but the chain was locked and I never got to apologize for my Mom's…behavior." His voice is like honey, flavoring his words with sincerity.

"It's fine." I answer, pleased when my voice comes out halfway normal. "I haven't exactly earned her approval, have I?" Laughing under my breath, I curse silently when it comes out as a strangled chuckle.

"No, it's not fine." His voice is thick again, but firm and authoritative as he closes the subject. "You still haven't answered me." I resist the urge to snap back, but only because the thickness in his voice is growing increasingly prominent.

"I'm fine!" I'm sure to claim it in such a way that any hint of the truth is hidden. "Now do you mind telling me why the HELL you called at-." I glance at the kitchen clock. "6:00 in the morning?" He doesn't seem to catch my earlier lie, too focused on my present anger to be worried.

"Well…the door was chained shut." It wasn't quite an accusation, more of a question than anything, but I don't let that stop me. **(A/N: If you picture Carly's apartment door, there's a chain and a lock on the doorknob. In my story, Sam usually locks the doorknob but Freddie can pick the lock to get in. When Sam decides to lock the chain, Freddie can't get into the apartment.)**

"Did you ever think that there was a reason I chained the door shut?" Dead silence from the other side of the line. I push on. "Did you ever think that maybe, just maybe, you should tell me when you post new Wake Up Spencers?" It was partially about the Wake Up Spencers but mostly because of how the world was compressing on me, Spencer's sculpture being one of the first signs that karma was going in for the kill.

"Is that what this is about?" Freddie asks, betraying his frustration in the incredulousness of his tone. "I forgot to tell you, that's all, and I…edited." It's suddenly stiflingly awkward and I can't see any way around it.

"I saw that you cut it out, but don't think that means you're forgiven." The anger is gone from my voice, replaced with slight playfulness. Why exactly he was forgiven so easily was a mystery to me, but, due in part to my quickly fading sleepiness, I was becoming more alert by the second. A chuckle from the other end of the line when Freddie sees through my "threat".

"What could I ever do to make it up to you, Princess Puckett?" He answers in fake sincerity, purposely taunting my explicit forbiddance on the nickname when used seriously.

"Pushing your luck, dipthong." I respond in fake annoyance, smiling reluctantly. A soft rap on the door, quickly followed by a chuckle at my second empty threat. I stay silent, unmoving, with my eyes fixed on the door. Finally, Freddie responds.

"Your move." His challenge stirs me to action. I get to my feet and grab my backpack from the corner, silently unzipping it. Poising myself in front of the door, I press my phone between my cheek and my shoulder while supporting the water gun with one hand. I move my free hand to the chain, unlocking it before dropping my hand to the doorknob. Smiling to myself, I swing the door open and chuckle when Freddie finds himself staring down the barrel of my water gun.

"Give me a reason, Freddork, give me a reason." Freddie pulls his cell away from his ear slowly, raising both hands in the air in surrender.

"You don't need to do this, Sam." He pleads, eyeing the water gun carefully. "I have something planned and we can't go if I'm soaking wet." I prod his stomach with the water gun, trying not to get sucked in and distracted by him.

"And what could possibly give me more pleasure then soaking you to the bone right now?" I ask, just taunting him now. I knew that my chances of pulling the trigger had been growing slimmer by the second, and his next words obliterate all chance entirely.

"The little supermarket a few blocks over opens at six. You couldn't possibly be interested in getting your promised hams, now could you?"

Wendy POV 9:00AM (East Coast Time) Day 13

"You ran into Great-Uncle Milton yet? His poodle tried to maul me." I open my eyes, blinking blearily, and struggle to think coherently.

"Uncle Ian." I try to inject some enthusiasm into my tone, but fail completely. He laughs, every bit as sleepy as I am, and hugs me tightly.

"The time change is brutal." Uncle Ian is the only relative (excluding my parents and I) that had flown out from Seattle for this stupid family reunion with people I either didn't remember or didn't care about.

"That it is." I agree, pulling out of the hug and collapsing back into my seat.

"So, how you been, jellybean? Any juicy gossip worth reporting?" He teases, his eyes twinkling. He knew of my position within the school from his patients, but had agreed to keep my parents in the dark. I owed him.

"Only our most challenging assignment yet." I respond, praying he won't ask for details. Uncle Ian wouldn't have that.

"Oh, really? Tell me." He replies, waving to a cousin of mine from across the room before returning his attention to me.

"A friend, Carly, came to us about setting up her best friends." I respond vaguely, hoping that would be enough for him. He didn't watch iCarly, so I figured I was reasonably safe.

"Carly as in Carly Shay?" Shit. I'm fully awake now, trying to give away as little as possible.

"Yes." I answer in a careful, clipped tone. His face brightens and he plows on.

"She's one of my patients! Her friend, Sam, is one of my other patients." Uncle Ian's excited glow disappears at the mention of Sam, contracting his fingers reflexively. I sense an interesting story, if nothing else, and seize the direction of the conversation.

"Did something happen when Sam came to visit you?" I fish, searching his body language for clues. He hesitates, unsure of how to answer.

"The first time she came, I almost lost a finger." Uncle Ian winces, flexing his fingers again. I laugh, unable to get the mental picture of Sam chomping at his fingers out of my head. "Don't laugh! It got so bad that I had to turn on the cameras that we _never _use for liability issues AND I had to put her under nitrous oxide." He shivers dramatically, but I'm not laughing anymore.

"Wait, nitrous oxide? Like laughing gas?" I ask, instinctively sensing that there was something here. Uncle Ian (well, Dr. Ian Wheeler) chuckles despite himself at this, still flexing his fingers.

"That's the one. You should have seen Carly's face when she was walking Sam out to the car. It was like she'd seen a ghost!" Uncle Ian laughs again, imagining the scene in his head.

"Is there any way that I could get the footage of Sam under the laughing gas? You said that people say some pretty crazy things when they're on that stuff." I hold my breath and Uncle Ian frowns.

"I don't know if I could do that with patient/doctor confidentiality and all." He answers hesitantly, almost like he's waiting for me to change his mind.

"What harm could it do? I mean, she probably didn't even see that miniscule sign in your lobby that says you reserve the right to monitor your appointments and it's not like she would say anything but crazy mumbo jumbo. Not to mention you're my favorite uncle." I bat my eyelashes, exaggerating my sucking up to make him laugh. It works, his frown fading.

"Well, when you put it that way-." He whips out his phone, punching the buttons with practiced efficiency. "-I'll ask my assistant to send over the footage ASAP." Uncle Ian closes his cell phone, his expression thoughtful. "I've never actually seen what went down that day, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it." He smiles, looking past me and rolling his eyes. "Oh, lord the twins are at it again." I look behind me, unable to focus on my dumbass cousins (the twins: Brody and Bruce) trying out Great-Uncle Milton's poodle's shock collar. No, all I can really focus on is Uncle Ian's footage that will probably turn out to be nothing anyway.

**Dun Dun DUNNNN! Sorry, kinda had to do that. :)**

**So, what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Wow, amazing response for last chapter! Thanks to: Seddielovergrl, delenaseddieluv, Moela Rose, HugsandBugsSmileyface, leodoglover, ChaosKeks, mirage888, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Mystapleza, Jane Vulturis Black, RobSp1derp1g, twilightcrazed999, ober22, PurpleMousefurGomez, Mardelzor, iMaximumSeddie, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, M U L T I S E D D I E, Mkap, iPeppyCola, coketree20, Geekquality, Romance and Musicals, Kpfan72491, forevarSdd1, singstar29, violet0scar, AnimeRose93, Misskress, bluemystique, Thalico 4 evah, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, bella3590, Mari13ssa, seddieroxxmysoxx, Plant Love Grow Peace, kelseighrox925, Ivyheart, LovalyDisaster, theofficialseddiefan, Jess, and SpeakNow4!**

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: Glad you liked it! :)**

**TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: Haha, glad to hear it! :)**

**TO MKAP: The hummingbird was a reference to Chapter 40 when Sam and Freddie feel each others heartbeats. Freddie saved Sam's life in Chapters 8-11 when Sam gets hypothermia. Hope this helped. :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: I live in what used to be a desert (they built so much in that it can hardly be called a desert) in the United States. :)**

**TO FOREVARSDD1: This chapter was Day 13 and hopefully a little better than Gibby smelling his armpits or Spencer's goldfish slowly withering away. :)**

**TO MISSKRESS: Hmmm...I feel like I'm about to give out a big secret here. I'm a *cliffie*! jk, jk. I'm a girl, not that that has anything to do with the story or my writing style. :) **

**TO IVYHEART: Glad you liked it so much! Hopefully you can get an account eventually, but I don't know the circumstances.**

**TO LOVALYDISASTER: I did come up with Mrs. Benson's bicycle rule, glad you enjoyed it! Hopefully there was more**** Seddie in this chapter. :)**

**TO JESS: I don't know if you're to this chapter yet, but I remember that line because it broke my heart to write it.**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please, please review! :D**


	50. You're It

**New chapter! Enjoy...**

Freddie POV 6:18AM Day 13

"Great planning, Benson. Why do people think you're the smart one again?" Sam snaps, eyeing the closed storefront with disgust. I wince, partly from the frost forming on my face from the freezing morning and partly from Sam's righteous anger. I _had_ dragged her out of bed at six in the morning to walk three blocks in the bitterly cold air on the promise of ham and had failed to deliver. To be fair, the store's hours had said they would be open Saturday at six in the morning, but a last minute change had occurred and the hours changed.

"They said they would be open." I mutter in my defense, turning to walk back to Bushwell. I half-expect Sam to attack me from behind or perhaps break into the store herself. That's why I jump about a foot in the air when she slips her arm in mine. I dig my hand deeper in my pocket instinctively, pulling her closer.

"I mean, I'm so _obviously _the intelligent one that only a moron would think you were smarter than me." Sam continues as if nothing had happened, unaware that my attention was exclusively hers.

"A moron." I repeat, caught up in her. Sam turns to look at me, surprised by my agreement.

"Right." She emphasizes, seemingly oblivious as her hand fastens on my upper arm and sparks awareness. "And don't think you're off the hook, Freddifer." Sam taps her head with her free hand, the slightest smile gracing her features. "I'm already thinking of a way for you to pay me back."

"Like?" I prompt, amazed at how quickly she had gone from annoyed to playful. Sam furrows her brow, eyes darting about the deserted streets around us. The sun is just barely up, the streetlights still flickering to provide enough light for people who are unwilling to brave the cold. Well, normal people who were unwilling to brave the cold. We were still out here.

"Got it!" Sam announces, releasing my arm and taking all hope of tranquility with her. "I wanna test something." She says seriously, leaning close enough that her breath puff dissolved on my face. "You're it." Sam whispers, reaching out to graze my arm before spinning on her heel and sprinting in the direction of Bushwell. It takes a second to register, another second to recover from her close proximity, and another second to take my first stride forward. She's fast; not impossibly so, but fast enough that few could catch her. My stomach rises, similar to a balloon struggling to escape the limitations of gravity and a wide grin stretches across my face. Why, exactly, it was so fun to chase Sam through the darkness of an icy dawn on deserted Seattle streets was a mystery, one that would probably never be solved.

Only a block from Ridgeway, Sam had maintained her lead, even gaining some space between us. I could blame it on my huge coat, but Sam's jacket was hindering her just as much as she sprinted. Driving my feet into the pavement harder than before, I desperately search for the drive and ability to catch Sam that had been there only a week ago. It just wouldn't come, probably because my adrenaline wasn't nearly as potent as it had been that night. Sam reaches the fringes of the parking lot, slowing to a stop before whipping around to look for me.

"Ha! I knew it was a fluke! No way you co-." I barely break stride, bending down and hitting her knees to make them buckle. Sam's taunts cut off as she falls, landing squarely in the bridal style she hated so much. I do a 180, careful not to drop her, and begin sprinting down the pavement. Sam is surprisingly silent, shocked at how suddenly everything was taking place. After about thirty yards, I slow to a stop. She finally comes to her senses, automatically bringing her arm to cuff me behind the head. I laugh, only wincing slightly in pain, and pretend to drop her. It's extremely satisfying when she gives a small cry of surprise, reaching up to cling to my neck. "Freddie!" She protests, so distracted that she forgets to insult me. It only takes her a second to realize her slip and her eyes narrow at my cheeky grin. Before Sam gets the chance to retaliate, I set her feet on the ground and ensure she has her footing before taking off towards Bushwell. "Come here, Benson!" Sam growls, her footsteps audible as she chased me. I speed up, almost slamming into the lobby door as I tried to pull it open without slowing down. Sam's hands graze my back just before I dart inside, ignoring Lewbert's curses and making a beeline for the elevator. I push the button, hoping that some miracle could stop her from-

Sam slams into me, pushing me face-first into the wall and twisting my arm behind my back. Lewbert squawks in protest (NO FIGHTING IN MY LOBBY!) but Sam ignores him, leaning up to rest her chin on my shoulder. I shiver, her cheek brushing against mine as she pushes me further into the wall.

"You're it." She whispers, releasing my arm and backing away after a long second.

"NO FLIRTING IN MY LOBBY!"

Carly POV 7:00AM Day 13

"CARLY!" Someone screams, pulling my warm comforter off and dropping it to the floor. It was one of those mornings where it's so cold outside that you want to stay in bed all day, but apparently Spencer has other plans. "I HAVE TO TELL YOU BEFORE I FORGET! COME ON, LITTLE SIS!" I groan, rolling over and shivering in the freezing air. Spencer grabs my foot, shaking me vigorously.

"What?" I ask, burying my head deeper in my pillow.

"I had a dream, an amazing dream!" Spencer says, releasing my foot to pace. I mumble incoherently, hoping it would pass for acknowledgement. "It was exactly like that vision I had when I passed out yesterday, except this time the hummingbirds were flying all around me but it sounded like paper fluttering everywhere. Then I figured it out! They were made out of…wait for it…pictures!" He pauses, waiting for me to respond. Truthfully, I'm half asleep again.

"Yay." I murmur weakly, so close to sleep that I could taste it.

"Hundreds and hundreds of pictures with you, Sam, and Freddie! It's like the documentation of your friendship!" Spencer exclaims, already moving out the door.

"Yay." I repeat, slipping into sleep without really processing anything that Spencer had said.

Sam POV 9:28AM Day 13

"Hey." Freddie says half-heartedly, closing the door behind him.

"Hey." I murmur back, keeping my attention on the TV. Freddie collapses on the couch next to me, seemingly exhausted, and I try to focus on the MMA fight. Just then, my phone vibrates…again. I ignore it, trying not to think about the call that I was so unwilling to take that I had locked my phone in a drawer in the kitchen after she had called for the fifteenth time. The saddest thing about all of this? I'm not exaggerating.

"Do you hear that?" Freddie asks, looking around in confusion. I shrug, focusing intensely on the TV screen. "It sounds like it's coming from the kitchen." He gets to his feet, following the sound until it leads him to the locked drawer. Freddie pulls on the door, grunting in surprise when it refuses to budge. I reach into my jacket pocket, clamping my fingers down on the key. Footsteps, and then Freddie stops at the edge of the couch, listening as the phone stops vibrating. "What is that? Don't pretend you didn't hear it."

"I-." Before I can begin my long-winded denial/insult that Freddie must be hearing things, the phone begins to vibrate again. If it was up to me, I would have turned it off, but my phone was stubbornly set on vibrate ever since I knocked it off the table earlier this morning. I was tempted to break it, but I was betting on Freddie's ability to fix it before it annoyed me to that extent. The phone buzzes again and Freddie raises his eyebrows. I roll my eyes, deciding that the sooner I told him, the sooner he could shut the damn thing off. "It's my phone."

"Why don't you answer it?" He asks condescendingly, like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because, Freddork, I need you to work your little tech wizard magic on it and get it to shut up." I reply just as condescendingly, pulling the key out of my jacket pocket and offering it to him. He takes it, blinking in confusion now.

"If you just answer the phone, it would stop ringing." I hated myself, I really did, for allowing a simple hand brush to distract me like this.

"Yeah, but I don't want to answer it and I happen to know a nerdy dork that can fix it for me." I respond, my full attention back on the MMA fight by now. The phone finally stops vibrating and I sigh in relief, hoping she won't call ag-. _Buzz. Buzz. Buzz_. Of course she calls again. I feel Freddie's silent question and sigh reluctantly before answering it. "It's Melanie and I don't want to talk to her, so chop chop! Make her shut up." Freddie looks startled for a second at my casual mention of Melanie, but he's rolling his eyes by the time I finish my demand. He turns away, leaving me to focus on the MMA fight once more. Shelby Marx was kicking ass, as usual. Freddie returns, blocking the TV and forcing me to look at him. I'm struck, remembering the last time he had blocked the TV. The difference this time being his geek-print pj's (not kidding, he literally has 'geek' written all over them…well, more than usual.) and his light sweatshirt that were more him than the whole nerd-with-a-six-pack thing. For about the billionth time, I wonder why he even went to the gym in the first time. To impress girls? That didn't really seem his speed either. Finally, I notice that he's saying something.

"-answer and I'll fix it. Deal?" I roll my eyes, getting the gist of what he wants. He hands me the phone as soon as I hold out my hand, settling on the couch next to me as I waited for her to-. _Buzz._

I pounce, flipping the phone open before immediately closing it. "Done. Here you are, Fredward." I try to hand him the cell phone but he pushes it back, silently ordering me to answer it this time. _Buzz._ Dang, she's fast. Reluctantly, I press the phone to my ear. Now, for the record. I ONLY answered the phone because the fight went to commercial.

"Finally! Fifty-eight 'missed' calls later!" Melanie's huffy, annoyed voice greets me with particular venom in the 'missed'.

"Was it fifty-eight? I counted fifty-six." I reply, purposely trying to make her angry enough to hang up. Melanie believed that anger should never be taken out on others and, if she felt even a hint of the emotion, she would hang up or walk away. Melanie breathes deeply, trying to keep her cool.

"I'm glad you picked up this time. That's what's really important." I'd forgotten what a pain in the ass over-optimism was. "I heard she kicked you out. Is that true?" Just like that, all hint of emotion fades and leaves me with nothingness.

"I prefer to think it was a mutual agreement that my presence wasn't welcome." Freddie perks up as this, trying his best not to eavesdrop (goody two shoes, remember?) but not able to miss this. He shifts uncomfortably when I continue. "Carly let me move in for the week so I'm good. I'll be living at home full-time by July." This month was always the hardest, when she missed him most. Gradually, I would spend more time at home until I finally started to sleep there full time from about Halloween to Valentine's Day, except for the days Carly invited (or I invited myself) to sleep over.

"That's not right, and you _should_ know that." Melanie, pleading slightly now, is trying to guide the conversation in this direction yet again. Freddie, despite how desperately curious he obviously is, stands abruptly and paces towards the kitchen so he wouldn't be able to hear.

"I know I'm lucky to have that much." Melanie cuts me off before I continue, trying to convince me of something that just wasn't true.

"It wasn't your fault! Sam, you can't blame yours-."

"Goodbye, Melanie." I snap my phone shut, the nothingness masked as I try to appear bored. "Phone, Benson." He returns, taking the phone from my outstretched hand and struggling with something. I focus back on the TV, waiting for the inevitable. I'm extremely surprised, to say the least, when he doesn't ask any questions after all; instead heading over to his apartment without a word.

It was odd; almost like he was afraid asking me too many questions would piss me off. Well, enough questions and he probably would, but one question wouldn't have been to out of line. Another thought, even more startling then the first: maybe he didn't ask me anything because he was afraid of scaring me off. I immediately push away the idea, disgusted at the thought of _me _scared of something. Unsettled, my stomach lurches involuntarily at the thought that Freddie Benson might know me better than I thought he did.

Maybe, just maybe.

Nahhhhhhhh.

**So...Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to the amazing reviewers from last chapter: Romance and Musicals, bella3590, delenaseddieluv, RobSp1derp1g, coketree20, Mystapleza, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Seddielovergrl, violet0scar, IamMu-chan, LettersFromTheHeart, leodoglover, Plant Love Grow Peace, Gabsikle, iMaximumSeddie, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, AnimeRose93, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, popcorn1001, chickiebabe, twilightcrazed999, mirage888, Castle-of-Bones, seddieroxxmysoxx, ober22, Mari13ssa, M U L T I S E D D I E, iPeppyCola, SpeakNow4, Kpfan72491, Thalico 4 evah, xBeckyBooHerex, kelseighrox925, smileyface, singstar29, Geekquality, PurpleMousefurGomez, icecoffee18, and Misskress!**

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: 1. Sam and Freddie were talking on the phone and then Freddie knocked on the door. Sam opened the door and poked him with the water gun. 2. Wendy has a family reunion on the East Coast.**

**TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: It does seem to be taking a while, doesn't it? Sam has her reasons and Freddie is convinced that Sam hates him. Glad you liked the chapter anyway!**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Glad you liked the bit with Wendy's Uncle, that was very fun to write. Bummer Bushwell Plaza doesn't really exist. :(**

**TO MISSKRESS: Glad you liked it! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please, please REVIEW! :D**


	51. I Wanna Tell You A Secret

**Enjoy!**

Freddie POV 9:45AM Day 13

"Oh, there you are honey!" Mom greets me, up to her elbows in super-disinfecting dish soap. "I thought you would be back earlier from that dirty gym you _insist_ on attending." I stash Sam's still-vibrating phone in my room, hurrying into the kitchen to get a dishtowel. I decide it's best to leave out that I had made a stop at Carly's apartment.

"The women's gym you go to wouldn't accept me and this was the only other gym you approved of." I remind her, grabbing a plate and drying it before placing it in the overhead cabinet gingerly. Mom humphs, but doesn't offer further protest. I don't know when exactly I had decided to start going to the gym, but I had finally got around to it about a year ago. It wasn't because I wanted to get huge muscles to impress the girls at school. It wasn't even to be able to hold my own with Sam, even though it was slightly satisfying (…okay, _extremely_ satisfying). I went for that guy time that I hadn't ever really had before. Think about it: I live with my mom and my two best friends are girls. Spencer is a great guy and everything, but he isn't the best person for guy time. Gibby is a good friend but he, like Spencer, isn't exactly the best example of what guy time should be. So, I decided to go to a gym.

It had been pathetic at first. I hadn't been able to jog ten minutes without being winded, the smallest weights had been a challenge, and the boxing ring had been an instrument of torture. The only thing I could really do for a long period of time was crunches and sit-ups, so that was what I did. Vern, an old veteran of the place, had immediately taken an interest in me and helped me along for the last year. I had finally returned today after missing a few days but Vern had cut me some slack because I was so busy with the play. Of course, the other guys teased me to no end once the story of Sam's victory in the boxing match had got around. It might have been manageable if Vern hadn't mentioned that she was going to be "the little lady to my Romeo". In those exact words. Suffice it to say that most of the guys cried, but not out of sadness for my embarrassment.

"Aw, fiddlesticks. Hand me that fork again, Fredward, I think I missed a spot."

Wendy POV 12:30PM (East Coast Time) Day 13

"…so that was when I decided that it was time to move on. Dear me, Rufort was a good man but let me tell you, missy, Chad is just so rich that what's a girl to do? Oh! Here he is now!" I barely manage to keep from throwing up when my sixty-eight year old grandma purrs at the approaching Chad, her eyes roving over him. Chad was the third man she'd had an affair with while she was with Rufort (Rufort was her second husband) and Grandma Darla had decided that Chad was the new man for her. I avert my eyes, trying to avoid permanent scarring as Grandma Darla continues to devour Chad with her eyes. A hand latches on my arm, pulling me away from the horribly disturbing scene.

"Jeez, jellybean, we almost didn't make it out of there alive." Uncle Ian says, releasing me once we had escaped to a safe distance. "My assistant sent over the footage you wanted." He hands me his phone, glancing back at Grandma Darla and Chad before turning back to me. "It's all on there. I have to go rescue Devon before he sees more than he wants to. Enjoy." With that, Uncle Ian hurries back into the field of battle to rescue Devon. I find a nearby chair, thankfully devoid of any relatives, and find the video attachment his assistant had sent. I watch, laughing along with Carly when Sam thinks her thumb is missing. Then, it happens.

"I wanna tell _you _a secret."

I watch, my heart accelerating as the clip progresses.

"Hey, you know that kid, Freddie?"

"Yeah, I know Freddie."

"_We kissed_."

I drop the phone, giving a small gasp of surprise before reaching for my phone. She had known, known this whole time and said nothing! I finally find my phone, speed dialing the one person who could get what I needed.

"What do you need, Wendy?" Mya asks, the clatter of silverware audible as she halts the formal family breakfast (complete with three courses and a butler) to answer my call.

"Carly Shay." I growl, practically spitting with the betrayal. Shay had officially broken her contract by purposely leaving out valuable information and everything she had told us, everything we had discovered was ours to release. I wasn't stupid. Releasing all we had on Sam and Freddie would destroy them right now, so we would just use it to threaten Carly until she caved.

"What do you want me to do?" Mya's confusion is evident, the clink of silverware from her parents still audible in the background. Beyond words now, I grab Ian's phone and email the video to her.

"Show her the video I emailed you and she'll tell us the truth. Carly doesn't want information leaked any more than we do." I instruct, watching as Uncle Ian finally frees Devon and leads him to safety.

"And then?" Mya asks, accepting the vague instructions without question.

"And then get back to me. Round up a few others if you need them. Thanks, Mya." I end the call, Uncle Ian making his way over to me by now.

"So, anything interesting?" He asks, taking his phone back. It's almost too easy to lie.

"No, but thanks anyway."

Freddie POV 10:30AM Day 13

"Spencer, you ready yet?" I call up the stairs, trying to keep my voice down so Carly wouldn't wake up. She always liked to sleep late and, if you succeeded in waking her, she was terrifying. Spencer sprints down the stairs, almost colliding with the couch as he skids to a stop.

"Dude, chill!" Sam protests, ducking under the back cushion to avoid Spencer's flailing limbs.

"Sorry!" Spencer apologizes, regaining his balance. "I'm just going shopping for sculpting supplies after I drop you off and I'm so excited! Wanna know what I'm making?" He asks with a little too much enthusiasm, turning to address me. Without waiting for an answer, he plows on. "I'm making a-."

"Can we just go?" Sam cuts him off, getting up and heading towards the door. I shrug, not particularly curious about Spencer's sculpture anyway, and follow her out to the car.

It was a fairly short drive, but it seemed longer with Spencer's incessant chatter and Sam's stony silence. Neither of us was looking forward to this, both for completely different reasons, but Ms. Esposito had to have some mercy. Hopefully.

Spencer finally arrives at the deserted entrance of Ridgeway, wishing us good luck before speeding off towards his next destination. Sam leads the way to the front of the school, trying each of the doors and huffing in annoyance when they all refuse to budge. I chuckle under my breath but manage to disguise it as a cough as Sam stalks off towards the back entrance. Luckily, these doors open directly into the theatre and the first door Sam tries is unlocked. I follow her inside, looking back to make sure the door had closed, and bump into Sam. I jolt to a stop, every nerve tingling as I pull back. Then I catch sight of what had stopped Sam dead in her tracks.

An elegant staircase leads down to the designated dance floor, a red velvet carpet rolling down the steps in preparation for the descent of the Capulets. Three stone walls (the open area facing the audience) are lined with colorful tapestries with various scenes of violence, seduction, and other themes. The last thing I notice is a private alcove, separated from the rest of the stage by a huge tapestry that was so convincing it would trick anyone on stage into thinking that the alcove didn't exist.

"Ahh, there are my chickens!" Ms. Esposito suddenly appears, a tall guy with black hair following her. "I wanted to introduce you to Ivan myself. He has done very well on the sets and will receive the highest recommendation." Ivan's face lights up, turning to Ms. Esposito for confirmation that he had heard correctly.

"What recommendation?" Sam asks, still studying the set that couldn't possibly be the work of high school students.

"My recommendation, of course. Go change into Capulet ball formal wear, then we will begin." With that, Ms. Esposito disappears in the direction of her table.

"Hey, uh, Ivan?" He turns to look at me, on the verge of a victory dance. "Nothing against Ms. Esposito, but why would a high school drama teacher's recommendation get you so excited?" Ivan freezes, looking at me like I was a complete and utter moron.

"You are joking, right?" Ivan's accent is thick, distinctly Russian, and his disbelief is tangible.

"No, seriously." Sam chimes, turning her attention away from the set.

"I can do anything now! Work on set on Broadway, go to top arts university, anything! Anyone that knows anything-." He gives us both a dirty look. "-would know that Evelina Esposito's recommendation is one of hardest things to earn." Ivan looks like he wants to say something else, but Ms. Esposito's bustling figure returns to view and he quiets to respectful silence. Sam turns to glance back at me, eyebrows quirked in confusion. I shake my head once, just slightly, to let her know that I had no idea why Ms. Evelina Esposito was so important.

"Must I do everything?" Ms. Esposito's slight annoyance breaks our eye contact, both of us looking up for the reason to her frustration. She shoves our formal wear into our hands, already turning to Ivan to complete the next order of business. "That will be all." Ivan bobs his head once, obediently hurrying to the nearest exit. Ms. Esposito readjusts her scarf (dark green today) and turns her attention back to us. Something, probably our looks of mutual confusion, gives her pause and she sighs. "Such is the problem with inexperienced actors." She comments, studying us keenly. "Not your fault, but a nuisance all the same." She sighs, shaking her head slightly. "Most of the actors in my productions have experience and understand stage etiquette to some degree." Ms. Esposito begins to pace in front of us. "They understand why and how to become a character, but the emotions of the character are often difficult for them to duplicate. You two are exactly the opposite." She pauses, looking over at us before going back to pacing. "You seem to have all the emotion necessary to fulfill a character, but you have trouble completely becoming the character." I nod once, urging her to continue. "You are friends, yes?" The question is met with stony silence, both of us waiting for the other to decide. Ms. Esposito's eyebrows raise and she waits a minute for an answer that never comes. "Ahh, I see. You are friends, but also enemies. Well, not while you are acting. When you are acting, you are the character and I expect you to do as the character would do. Kissing is just another part of the script that means nothing, yes?" I shift uncomfortably, stirring against Sam slightly. "For today, I do not require it, but, when the time comes, I expect to see Romeo and Juliet on opening night. Not Sam and Freddie." I start, unaware that she even knew our first names. "Go now, Romeo and Juliet, change."

With a wave of her hand, she sends us away.

Wendy POV 1:30PM (East Coast Time) Day 13

"So that's when I decided that it was my destiny to become the supreme warrior of the Durgals. Aspartamay and Aruthor are no match for the rise of Nievar, supreme warrior of the Durgals and leader of the Yeti!" My cousin Ray pauses, shaking his head for emphasis and pointing menacingly. My aunt Gia turns to look at me, blinking rapidly at the exploits of her college-age son, and hoping that I would have some reason for why he was failing all of his classes. Just then, my phone rings and I shrug at my distraught aunt before escaping to a quiet corner.

"Go, Mya." I prompt, watching as Ray demonstrated his battle cry.

"Okay, she spilled once we threatened to release all of the information we have on Sam and Freddie. Remember that week when Sam told everybody Freddie had never kissed a girl?" Mya starts, her tone all business.

"Of course." That had been hell week. Once Sam let that one go, rumors were flying thicker than ever before and it had been a huge job to get truth sorted from lies.

"The week after, when Sam apologized, she went out to the fire escape where Freddie was. Carly said that they kissed 'just to get it over with'." A muffled sound from the background, and Mya chuckles. "Carly says that she hates you. I also found Freddie's laptop in the iCarly studio and got the Wake Up Spencer footage."

"Could you email it to me?" I ask, allowing myself a small laugh at Carly's hatred. She would thank me later. They always did.

"Already sent it." I can hear Mya moving and assume she's moving away from Carly. "I set up a video camera facing the living room couch and another one facing the bean bags in the iCarly studio for the movie. Carly doesn't know." She whispers, confirming my suspicions that she was making sure Carly didn't hear her.

"Great job, Mya. I owe you big." I say in genuine appreciation, pleased with how much she had accomplished.

"No problem. Enjoy your family reunion." Mya says, her smirk evident in her tone. I shake my head, already dialing the next number.

"Wendy? What do you need?" Heather asks, picking up on the first ring.

"A favor."

**So, what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**I don't think I say it enough, but I'm positive I have the best reviewers on all of fanfiction! HUGE thanks to: leodoglover, Virgoleo23, ober22, ascended ancient, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, Kpfan72491, Seddielovergrl, ChaosKeks, PurpleMousefurGomez, singstar29, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, RobSp1derp1g, Mardelzor, M U L T I S E D D I E, RaindropLove, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, mirage888, Thalico 4 evah, wakawakababe, popcorn1001, Mari13ssa, Mystapleza, coketree20, IamMu-chan, bluemystique, bella3590, twilightcrazed999, Moela Rose, violet0scar, iMaximumSeddie, Geekquality, MissKress, Castle-of-Bones, EllyWrites, Mkap, iPeppy Cola, Maddz-A-Million, ilovegerardway4ever, chocolate fish, AnimeRose93, Romance and Musicals, Quinno96, imaginary friends will rule, CrystalKR1, seddieroxxmysoxx, and amiinii!**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: I loved writing that line, glad you enjoyed it! :)**

**TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: Glad you liked it so much! :)**

**TO MKAP: Wow, thanks! :D**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: I actually just found out that I'm going to be visiting Seattle this summer, so I guess I'll get to see for myself! :) Glad you enjoyed the chapter!**

**TO MISSKRESS: Aww, thanks! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and please, please review! :D**


	52. Slipping

**Enjoy!**

Sam POV 11:00AM Day 13

I zip the dress up, glancing in the mirror one last time before heading out into the hallway. Freddie silently falls into step with me as we head towards the stage, playfully bumping my arm with his elbow. I look up, smirking, and dig my elbow into his side. He smiles when I withdraw, for the same reason that I smile: the awkwardness, as inevitable as it had seemed, had vanished. At least, it had vanished for the moment. We fade back into silence, a comfortable silence, and continue down the hallway until we step out into the impossibly bright light. Ms. Esposito is waiting, not annoyed exactly, but more exasperated that we were failing to keep up with her breakneck pace.

"We really must work on your costume transitions, my chickens. It is not fit to take so long between scenes." Ms. Esposito pulls me forward, waving Freddie to remain where he was. She guides me to the foot of the huge staircase, releasing me and indicating that I should climb to the top. She bustles back over to Romeo, studying him carefully before looking back at me suddenly. Faintly, I realize that I'm staring at Romeo with a kind of softness that was so obviously Juliet. I blink, coming back out of character and noticing Freddie's similar shift from Romeo to Freddie. Ms. Esposito smiles, just a tiny bit, at our success before positioning Freddie against the stone wall.

"Juliet will descend down the stairs with elegance," She pauses, waiting for me. I grip the wooden rail, cool to the touch, and take a step forward while trying to glide my hand down the rail as I imagined elegance to appear. Eleven measured steps later, I finally reach the bottom and look to Ms. Esposito for direction. "Not bad, not bad. Here Juliet's mother will bring her to Paris and Romeo will ask a servant who she is." She turns her attention away from me, looking at Freddie expectantly. He finally realizes that he's supposed to say something and thinks for a second to remember the line.

"What lady is that, which doth enrich the hand

Of yonder knight?"

_Translation: Who's the lady who's gracing the hand of that gentleman?_

Ms. Esposito lowers her voice, forcing it to be rough and accented for the role of the servant Romeo was talking to.

"I know not, sir."

_Translation: I don't know, sir._

Before Freddie can speak again, Ms. Esposito cuts him off before he can begin. "Then Romeo will speak of Juliet's beauty-," She lowers her glasses for emphasis, staring at Freddie. "-be sure to have it memorized word for word, yes?" Ms. Esposito slides her glasses up the bridge of her nose, adjusting her scarf before continuing. "Capulet and Tybalt will converse briefly while Paris dances with Juliet. After Capulet and Tybalt finish, Juliet will break for air and rest over there." She indicated a spot by the stone wall on the side of the room opposite where Freddie was standing. I move to the spot, carefully testing my weight against the false stone wall before leaning against it completely. Good workmanship, Ivan. "Romeo will slowly make his way over to her while others dance to second song." Freddie creeps along the wall, his movement almost unnoticeable at first, until he was standing right beside me. I could picture how chaotic the stage would be, loud waltz music guiding the dancers and several others standing off to the side talking to one another; but I knew the audience would probably only be focused on what was about to occur. Freddie enfolds my hand with his own and I pretend to be startled, not a difficult task considering his touch had jolted me with awareness.

"If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this;

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss."

_Translation: If I'm profaning a holy shrine with my unworthy hand, the lesser sine is this; my lips, like two blushing pilgrims, are ready with a tender kiss to smooth away the roughness of my touch._

As if to demonstrate, he raises my hand slightly and almost hesitates for permission to light my eyes before continuing. I'm not aware of anything but him, some sort of tunnel vision constricting all of my focus away from petty distractions. He sees something in my expression that gives him the courage to lean down and press his lips to my hand. When he pulls away, it takes all of my effort to focus on my lines.

"Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this;

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss."

_Translation: Dear pilgrim, you wrong your hand too much. It is only showing devotion. Statues of saints are touched by pilgrims' hands, so placing palm on palm is a holy palmer's kiss._

Freddie smiles widely at my response, and I force myself to remember that it was just him acting and nothing more. It would never be anything more, and the sooner I could get over him, the better.

"Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?"

_Translation: Don't saints and holy pilgrims have lips too?_

I smile in response, not missing that his hand tightens on mine as he speaks. The option to melt into Juliet is tantalizing, this single perfect moment before all hell broke loose probably the best of her life.

"Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

_Translation: Yes, pilgrim. Lips that must be used in prayer._

Freddie pushes my palm straight, placing his own hand over mine as if to compare the size of our hands. He's really just adding effect to his next lines.

"O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do!

They pray. Grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

_Translation: Well then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. Their prayer is "Grant a kiss, before I lose my faith"._

I place my hand over his mouth, looking around at the imaginary people who may have heard him. Double-checking to make sure nobody was looking, I slide into the nearly invisible opening to the private alcove. Freddie follows, gripping one of my hands and making sure the tapestry doesn't sway behind us. That would give us away. I pull my hand off of his mouth, trying to ignore the heady feeling of being this close, and say my next lines.

"Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake."

_Translation: Saints grant prayers, but they don't move._

Freddie leans closer, his face inches from my own as he utters his next lines. Lines. All pretend, all pretend; at least on his part.

"Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.

Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged."

_Translation: Then stay still, while my prayer is granted. Now the sin of my lips in purged by your lips._

Inches. Only inches. He was so close that we were almost sharing breath. In, out. In, out. In, out. It would be easy, the easiest thing in the world, to sink into Juliet and give in just this once. Almost silently, he breathes numbers to me.

"One…Two…Three…" I realize that he's counting the seconds of the kiss that would be taking place at this very moment. Joining in to try to fake some kind of normalcy, I silently pray that my rapid heartbeat isn't audible. "Four…Five…Six…Seven…Eight…"

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took."

_Translation: So my lips have the sin they have taken from you._

The line is automatic, no thought needed to remember it. I was slipping, slipping…

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urged! Give me my sin again!"

_Translation: You've taken sin from my lips? You've sweetly proved that I've offended. Give me my sin back again! _

I don't remember who made the first move, but I'm almost positive it was a simultaneous. It was a slip of character on his part; it had to be. Mine was simply a slip, something that seemed to be happening far too often the past few weeks. In any case, it took me about a second to realize I was kissing Freddie Benson. It took another second to feel his arms around my waist and my palms against his chest. Then I completely lost the ability to think at all. The only thing I could really do was feel; and there was plenty to feel. How soft the fabric of his tux was under my palms, how my heart swelled almost painfully until all of the air escaped my deflating lungs. I didn't even care that I couldn't breathe. It simply wasn't essential anymore.

More than anything, I feel the nonexistent space between us and revel in it. He suddenly jerks away, giving a gasp of surprise. The second he releases me, I regain brain function (well, mostly) and mentally slap myself. It was wrong, horribly wrong, to take advantage of his character like this. Even MY twisted moral compass knew that was wrong; wrong to take advantage of him and wrong to speed the inevitable rejection as he caught onto me.

Someone clears their throat, the sound of a clipboard clip being snapped directing me to the tiny old woman standing on the opposite side of the stage.

"Perhaps, for rehearsal, a bit less enthusiasm is warranted, my chickens. That would have worked well in the play, if it hadn't ended so abruptly and with no attempt to continue the scene." Ms. Esposito, despite the reprimand her words were clearly meant to be, is obviously embarrassed (at least a little bit) for us and I feel my cheeks burn. I shift my hair, trying to block the sudden warmth in my cheeks from Freddie and Ms. Esposito. "Take five." Ms. Esposito commands, already expecting us to pick up the pieces. Freddie approaches slowly but I really wish he wouldn't approach at all. I didn't trust myself around him anymore.

"Um, sorry. Completely out of line. All my fault." Freddie apologizes, stringing together random sediments into a half-articulate apology.

"Don't worry, it won't happen again." I cringe mentally at how hard my words sound, but I don't even attempt to explain or apologize because I knew I would only screw up more. Well, screw up more than I already had.

"Are you ready to go, Romeo and Juliet?"

Not even close.

"Now, you are actually scripted to do this instead." Ms. Esposito nudges Freddie out from in front of me and reaches for air just to the side of my upper arms. "Romeo will propel you gently-." She turns to glance back at Freddie to emphasize her point. "-_gently_-." She turns back to me, motioning for me to take the half a dozen backward steps separating me from the false stone wall. "-like so." Ms. Esposito backs away, motioning for me to return to my original position. Unsure, Freddie glances first at Ms. Esposito (she nods in encouragement) and then down for a few seconds to gather himself before turning to look at me. I honestly have no idea what my expression is, but he takes it as permission and reaches out to grip my upper arms. As if on cue, my heart swells once more. The over-clichéd expression doesn't ever mention the adreneline-filled moment when all of your breath being pushed out of your lungs and you couldn't breathe, but somehow it's the least of your concerns. I feel myself shift closer, or maybe it was him pulling me closer. I'm lost, utterly lost but I wasn't sure I wanted to be found if being found meant resisting. Resisting was the only thing that was safe; but karma would find some way to get back at me. It isn't until my back collides with the surprisingly solid fake stone wall that I regain some control.

"Sorry." Freddie murmurs, careful to keep his weight off of me. I try to say something, but my throat refuses to work as I stare up at him. Inches, inches…

"Good, good." Ms. Esposito says, breaking the contact between us. Freddie backs off quickly, releasing my arms and looking away. "Let's move to a new scene, shall we?" Ms. Esposito doesn't seem to be aware that we're both incapable of answering and continues without a response. "Ivan has assured me that the sets can be changed in under a minute but, for now, we will leave it be." Her words become a blur after that, words that I barely understood and that I couldn't comprehend being uttered in that order.

I get the gist of it though: 'Ready for a new scene?'

Not even close.

**So...Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**If you ever have any questions about aspects of the story that you may have forgotten or don't quite understand, I would be happy to answer them if you PM me or leave a review with your questions. :)**

**HUGE thanks to all of the incredible reviewers that motivate me to update consistently and work on all of the edits and reedits that iShakespeare takes: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, ilovegerardway4ever, Geekquality, Mystapleza, singstar29, veeheart914, Moela Rose, PurpleMousefurGomez, Virgoleo23, ChaosKeks, mirage888, Gabsikle, Plant Love Grow Peace, RaindropLove, bluemystique, delena seddie luv, leodoglover, Maddz-A-Million, coketree20, Quinno96, Romance and Musicals, Scarlett Chew, iPeppyCola, soultaker97, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, Mardelzor, Castle-of-Bones, CrystalKR1, Anonymous 1, Fabina 4 Evahz, twilightcrazed999, Kpfan72491, LadyRose12, SeddieShortBus, AussieHill, ober22, iMaximumSeddie, alliebearlove, Mari13ssa, Werefaerie120, and Anonymous 2!**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: Thanks! Wendy and the gossip girls will do their part in dredging up a lot of old issues and the_ really_ fun part will be watching Carly trying to keep Sam and Freddie clueless. :)**

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: Wow, thanks! Hope you liked this chapter just as much! :D**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: I believe you, don't worry. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS 1: Glad you liked it! Opening night is a ways away but it's gonna be good when it finally does come around! :)**

**TO TWILIGHTCRAZED999: Grandma Darla was a character that made me lol as soon as I made her up. xD **

**TO LADYROSE12: Thanks! Hope this chapter lived up to the wait! :D**

**TO ANONYMOUS 2: Glad you liked it! The play is going to be a ways away though. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and don't forget to review! :D**


	53. Gravity Takes Hold

**If you have any questions about anything I may have been unclear about, just PM me or leave a review with your question. Enjoy!**

Carly POV 11:45AM Day 13

Mya hangs up with Wendy and it's a struggle not to strangle her. I had a natural aversion to violence, but they had gone too far this time. Mya had pounded on the door until I dragged myself out of bed to answer it. She had come in like nothing was wrong; treating me like I was her favorite person on Earth, until she had finally confronted me about the impossible footage Wendy had obtained from out of nowhere. I was sure I was in a bad dream, but my body refused to wake up and I had been forced to betray my best friends. If I didn't tell the gossip girls what I knew about Sam and Freddie's kiss (it didn't help that I was the worst liar on Earth and had no hope of tricking them) they would release all of the information they had on Sam and Freddie to the world. Everything I had given them, plus whatever else they had managed to pick up (I didn't doubt their capabilities after Wendy had found that impossible footage), would devastate Sam and Freddie to the point where I wasn't sure if they would ever even be friends again. So I had told Mya, told her everything Sam and Freddie had told me, out of fear that I would destroy Sam and Freddie even more if I refused to help the gossip girls. Mya stashes her cell phone in her purse, turning to flash me a smile.

"See, that wasn't so bad." She actually has the nerve to say that. Maybe it was because I hated myself just as much as I hated the gossip girls at that moment, maybe it was because I wanted to get her back for all she had done, but I had to do some damage control in any case.

"You won't find anything." I say maliciously, folding my arms over my chest. Mya raises a perfectly plucked eyebrow, refusing to be fazed.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Her voice is quiet, but with a threatening undercurrent that all of the gossip girls had seemed to master. Hidden menace to trick you into doing what they wanted.

"You can tear this city apart and you'll never find proof that that kiss even happened. Everything-." I manage to smooth over my falter and Mya doesn't seem to detect my lie through her anger. "-I told you was what Sam told me under that laughing gas and she could have made it up." I allow myself to breathe and my heart to slow a tiny bit after the lie seems to go undetected. I take a step forward, desperate to redeem myself from the horrible betrayal I had been forced into. "You're chasing shadows and you know why you'll never find proof that they kissed?" I pause a moment to allow Mya a chance to answer me but she is stubbornly silent. "Because it never happened." There. Maybe I had managed to keep the gossip girls at bay for a little bit. Mya studies me up and down before her irritation and anger is replaced with infuriating superiority.

"We'll see about that." With that, she clasps her purse shut and exits my apartment without another word.

I didn't doubt that Wendy's gang of gossip girls would tear the city apart for evidence.

The really scary thing is that I'm just starting to get an actual idea of how connected these girls are. Connections, above all else, will get you places quickly and I could only hope that place wasn't somewhere with real power. I shiver at the thought of the gossip girls all grown up, together in their invincibility, as they upheld their impossibly strict system of what they believed to be justice.

For the first time, I really wonder what it took to be a gossip girl. Ambition, certainly. These girls were determined to go places and would work to the ends of the Earth to get there. But there were plenty of people at Ridgeway who were ambitious. Was having connections to the rich, famous, and successful that second key trait for a gossip girl? I shuddered at the mere thought that it was because then I was in deeper than I had ever imagined.

Freddie POV 12:45PM Day 13

"The blood bag will be there." Ms. Esposito indicates as spot near Sam's collarbone that was hidden by her dress. "You will stab and allow the fake blood to leak out over you." I try to remain absolutely still, my throat tightening when I feel Sam hesitating above me.

"I take his dagger, right?" I want more than anything to open my eyes and do something. Something other than lay here as a corpse while her breath sweeps over me.

"On his belt." Ms. Esposito answers, her voice two feet to the right of where she had been last time. I feel Sam's hesitation again, as clearly as I could feel my heart racing and my struggle for calm, even breaths. Sam pulls the blunted dagger from my belt and recites her death speech, but the words, while beautiful poetry, are nothing to her voice. It rises and falls perfectly with emotion and I feel my heart began to crumble at how devastated she seemed. The only thing that kept me still was the reminder that this wasn't real and Sam wasn't really attempting to put words to the impossibly indescribable feeling of heartbreak. At least, that's what I try to tell myself, but it seems so real that I can't help when my hand twitches in her direction. Ms. Esposito doesn't say anything, so I assume she doesn't notice, and Sam finishes Juliet's final words.

"Stab." Sam whispers, dropping the knife with a clatter and collapsing at my side. My hand twitches again and I accidently come across her hand. There's that sudden awareness that's impossible to describe but also a sense of gravity and placement. This was where Romeo would have wanted to be. Where I wanted to be.

"Very good, very good." I take this as a sign that we could get up and I open my eyes slowly. Sam opens her eyes after me, pulling her hand out from under mine quickly. I feel my cheeks burn when I realize I had been very nearly holding her hand. We both get to our feet, turning to face Ms. Esposito to avoid looking at each other. "Perfect emotion, both of you." Ms. Esposito is beaming, practically bouncing with happiness. "Have a good weekend, my chickens." Ms. Esposito bustles backstage, off to her next task.

A few minutes later, I had finished changing back into my street clothes and was waiting in the hallway of dressing rooms for Sam to emerge. Spencer had responded to my text requesting a ride back to Bushwell with a frowny face, complaining that he had just met the cutest girl at the arts and crafts shop. That was something, at least. Maybe Spencer would actually stick with this one.

Somehow, I doubted it.

The door to Sam's dressing room opened and she nudged the door shut behind her. I silently fell into step beside her, sensing her distance. Of course she was right next to me, inches separating our arms, but she wasn't really _there_. I cleared my throat, not missing when Sam flinches out of her thoughts.

"Spencer's on his way." I felt like Captain Obvious and Sam doesn't do anything to make the feeling go away.

"Thanks for the update, Freddifer." She says sarcastically, pushing open the door to the back parking lot.

"No problem." I responded automatically, just to piss her off. Sam rolls her eyes back at me and I dodge an elbow aimed for my ribs.

"Smartass." Sam mutters, going in for another elbow. I laugh, dodging the second elbow and leading the way to the front parking lot. Sam is trying not to laugh, demanding I knock it off, but I couldn't stop if I tried. Finally, I manage to annoy Sam to the point where she shoves me (none too easy, either) into the side of the building.

"Oh, is that how it's gonna be?" I challenge, charging forward and chopping Sam's knees out from under her before she can react. She gasps, falling back as her knees collapse from under her. I catch her back, my other hand supporting her knees. "You really should have seen this coming." I dodge a punch, laughing the whole time as I hurried to the parking lot. Sam lands her next jab in my stomach and I decide to give up before she gets even more violent. I place Sam back on the sidewalk carefully, not missing that the distance that had existed between us had evaporated like smoke the second we had started to fight. Her eyes sparkle, the Sam I know and love once again, and it isn't until Spencer honks from the parking lot that I realize exactly how close we had somehow managed to get. Sam, ever the competidor, nudges me off balance before breaking away in a sprint to the car. It takes me a moment to recover and follow her but she beats me to the car easily. "What, not even a victory dance, Puckett?" I ask, settling into the passanger seat while Sam climbed into the back.

"I'm debating. If I need any lame ideas, you'll be the first I come to." Sam fires back, poking Spencer's shoulder as if to remind him of something. I don't bother to think of a response, too distracted by whatever Sam and Spencer were up too. Spencer nods once, turning right out of the parking lot instead of left.

"Uh…Spence? You're going the wrong way." I'm met with dead silence as Spencer squirms under my gaze.

"Just a quick stop, Freddie." He answers, obviously hoping that will be enough to satisfy me. I glance back at Sam, silently waiting for clarification. She shrugs, turning her attention to the window. Spencer pulls up to a familiar white house, parking sideways in the driveway before unlocking the doors. I recognize the house as Sam's and open my mouth to ask the obvious question when Sam interrupts me.

"Stay here." She orders, completely serious. Before I can protest, she slams the door and jogs towards the backyard.

"Pistachios?" Spencer asks, holding out a bag of pistachios.

"What? No! What is she doing?" I turn away from Spencer, but Sam's already disappeared behind the house. I make the impulsive decision to go after her, remembering her conversation with Melanie this very morning. I unbuckle my seatbelt and I'm halfway out the door when Spencer realizes what I'm doing.

"Don't-!" I slam the door, cutting him off, and jog towards the back of the house. There's no gate, only weeds and dead grass, and I silently wonder if Sam's mom ever worried about being robbed.

"Sam?" I whisper-shout, looking around. She had obviously gotten into the house somehow because she definitely wasn't in the backyard anymore. After a few minutes of searching, I round the corner and immediately notice a balcony. I creep closer, finally spotting a trellis that was currently being climbed down by-. "Sam!" She whips around, losing her balance and falling the six or so feet to the ground. Sam lands flat on her back and I can hear the air being crushed out of her lungs. I rush over to her, unsure of what to do. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Sam gave no indication that she had heard me, closing her eyes and continuing her struggle for breath. I watch helplessly, relieved when Sam finally seems to recover enough to open her eyes.

"You…crazy?" She chokes out, sitting up and putting her hands on her head.

"I'm really sorry-!" I feel like I've already apologized so many times today that my apologies have started to mean nothing. Sam shushes me, looking around shiftily.

"Shut up, Benson." Sam hisses, still looking around like there might be something (or someone) that she could hear us. She holds up her arms and I stare at her, trying to decide what she wanted. Surely Sam Puckett wasn't asking me for help. She refuses to say anything, wincing between breaths. I reach down slowly, unsure, and pull her to her feet carefully.

"Are you okay?" I whisper, trying to keep my voice down. Sam nods once, refusing to look at me, and begins to walk back to the car. I look up and try to see what Sam could possibly have been doing. If she had climbed the trellis, then it would have been easy to make it onto the balcony. There was a sliding glass door with blackout curtains obscuring what was inside, but it didn't appear to be locked. _Meow._ My eyes were drawn to a cat I recognized as Frothy on the edge of the balcony. Had Sam sneaked back into the house to feed her beloved pet?

I didn't stop to think about it, Sam's urgency in escaping her house pushing me back to the car. I broke into a jog, catching up to Sam just as we reached the car. Spencer didn't say anything as we got in but his eyes flickered between us like he was waiting for one of us to say something.

"Sorry." I apologize to Sam, turning around to look at her. "Are you ok?"

"Fine." She said shortly, massaging her ribs as she stared out the window. I felt horrible, even if it had been an accident, and it only made it worse that Sam was being so…unSamish about it. I would have been able to take it if she had decided to get me back, but she was treating the entire situation like all could be forgiven if it meant forgetting everything she associated with home.

Spencer had never looked more confused…and that was saying something.

**So...Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Big thanks to all of the incredible reviewers from last chapter: leodoglover, ascended ancient, delena seddie luv, ilovegerardway4ever, Scarlett Chew, FanFicCrazy24, alliebearlove, popcorn1001, Geekquality, AnimeRose93, virgoleo23, Anonymous 1, Quinno96, veeheart914, singstar29, Romance and Musicals, smiley face, bluemystique, IamMu-chan, ChaosKeks, coketree20, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, ober22, xBeckyBooHerex, twilightcrazed999, iMaximumSeddie, AkinaMarie06, Plant Love Grow Peace, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, mirage888, Anonymous 2, Mari13ssa, wakawakababe, CrystalKR1, SeddieShortBus, violet0scar, EllyWrites, Fabina 4 Evahz, RaindropLove, Kpfan72491, Intemporel, M U L T I S E D D I E, and rachim4! **

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: That's pretty cool! I hope it works out between you and your crush. :)**

**TO SCARLETTCHEW: Glad you liked it so much! Opening night is still a ways away, but there's plenty of other things going on to keep you busy. :)**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: Wow, thanks! It would be awesome if you picked the 'Line of the Chapter' and started a trend. xD**

**TO ANONYMOUS1: Aww, thanks! I would really love to write a book some day and I guess iShakespeare is kind of like a practice novel. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS2: Glad you liked it! Hope this chapter was just as good! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please, please, please REVIEW! :D**


	54. Fractured

**New iCarly in one week! New chapter now! Enjoy...**

Heather POV 2:00PM Day 13

I had always known that my mother's profession would come in handy one day. It was a fantastic feeling to stroll into the lobby of Bushwell and know that the situation was mine to control. Of course, Lewbert hadn't taken kindly to me at first and had even suggested I go take a long walk off a short pier. Then I told him my name.

"I'm Heather Watkins." Lewbert pauses mid-insult, staring at me a long moment before responding.

"It can't be." He whispers, coming out from behind his desk. The doorman looked me up and down, obviously caught up in how closely I resembled my mother. "Well, whatta you know? It's Dr. Watkins daughter in the flesh! What can I do for you?" It's amazing how quickly Lewbert could became friendly and accommodating, even if he was a horrible man nearly all of the time. Mom had been the doctor to reattach Lewbert's wart after that iCarly bit with the muffin basket had blasted it off.

"I'm wondering if you happen to have any security cameras on the fire escapes of this building." I hold my breath, hoping that he did. Lewbert frowns, shaking his head.

"I don't, actually." I exhale in disappointment but Lewbert's face suddenly lights up. "Well, there is this one crazy lady. It's a sad story, really. She's impossible to please and you just know she's gonna be that old cat lady." I silently wonder when she had broken Lewbert's heart. "She insisted that a security camera be installed on the hallway fire escape in case somebody tried to break in." Lewbert rolls his eyes before continuing. "Her name is Marissa Benson. Still interested?" I didn't think it was possible to be this lucky.

"Very interested." It was a struggle to keep my voice calm. What luck!

Mrs. Nelson POV 2:30PM Day 13

I looked down at my list, breathing a sigh of relief when I saw her name. As the most experienced guidance counselor on campus, I was given the worst of the worst to try and sort through. Melanie Puckett was a straight A student, polite to a fault, and a welcome break from the kids I usually got in here. She breezes in, asking if she could sit and waiting for a nod before doing so.

"You're early this year, Melanie." I was careful to greet her gently, knowing how delicate the subject was. Melanie lookes down, struggling with something before returning her gaze to me.

"I know it's not for another eight days, on Sunday, but I just felt like I needed to talk to someone." Melanie wrings her fingers until they turned white but managed to keep her breathing steady. I smile and make sure she can see she has my full attention.

"Of course, dear." Melanie looks visibly relieved at this, pausing a moment before continuing. I could easily remember the first time she had walked into my office, almost exactly five years ago. It wasn't easy to forget a twelve year old who looked as if she was fractured to her core. The seventeen year old in front of me wasn't all that different, but she had buried herself in every possible distraction and it had made her seem just as stable, if not more, then any other student. Talking about things was one of the best ways to overcome grief and that was what twelve year old Melanie had been prescribed with: come back to me every year and we'll talk about it. We'd never actually made it that far into the story of her father's death, but this year I had high hopes.

"I was coming home from school for the weekend to visit with my family. Mom was so excited that she planned out a whole girls night, just the two of us." Melanie pauses here, swallowing convulsively. This was the furthest she had ever made it through her story. She suddenly glances up, looking me straight in the eye. "Did you know I have a sister?" I shake my head, startled by this new piece of information. "Her name is Sam. We're twins. We used to be the best of friends." Melanie looks down again, the first of many tears to come trailing down her cheeks. I silently hold out a tissue box, the motion so inadequate, but it was all I could offer her for the moment. "I remember talking to him on the phone that Friday afternoon. My flight had just landed and Dad told me that Mom should be there to pick me up. I asked why he and Sam weren't going to be there and he told me that Mom wanted a 'full immersion' girls night. I asked why Sam wasn't going to be with us and he said that Mom wanted it to be just the two of us. He and Sam were going to go to the beach instead." Melanie had dissolved completely into tears at this point and the part of me that wasn't in shock at this new information asked her if she wanted to stop now. She shook her head, determined to finish now that she was this far in.

"We weren't that far into our girls night when I got the most painful headache and my arm, my right arm, started to ache. I shook it off and didn't even come close to realizing that something could be wrong with Sam. Then we got the call. I had just put in Mom's favorite, _Just Like Heaven_." Melanie tries to laugh, but all that came out was a strangled chuckle. "A little ironic, isn't it?" All I could do was shake my head, horrified. I knew only the vaguest details of the car crash, but I didn't want to hear anymore. "They said that he was gone and Sam…" Melanie's voice cut off in her choking sobs. "Sam was a miracle." She buries her head in her hands, her chest heaving as she cried. I try to comfort her, but what could you say about a five-year old tragedy that had taken her father and almost taken her twin as well? I suddenly remembered her past tense in the 'we used to be the best of friends'. A five-year old tragedy that had taken your father and destroyed your closest friendship?

There were no words.

Sam POV 2:30PM Day 13

It had taken a long time for Freddie to go back to his apartment. He had insisted that he just wanted to hang out with Carly and I for a while, but it was obvious from his many sideways glances that he was worried about the fall I had taken. I was fine now, but it had felt like knives were ripping into my chest as my breath escaped from my lungs and refused to return.

Carly was acting weird, avoiding eye contact and speaking only when spoken too. It wasn't until Freddie had headed back to his apartment on the promise he would return for rehearsal, Carly had excused herself to work on an iCarly bit, and Spencer had left to meet up with a women from the sculpture shop that I was alone. It was a struggle to focus on the MMA fight, a pressure slowly beginning to prod my attention in a far darker direction. A sense of dread and the worst kind of heartbreak creep over me, tearing at my thoughts and making my eyes water. That could only mean one thing: the connection, for whatever reason, was returning.

All best friends fight at some point; it may be a tiny disagreement or a colossal falling out, but all best friends fight at some point. The thing you have to understand about Mel and I was that, like almost all infant and toddler twins, we were more comfortable together than we were apart. We had been together for as long as we could remember and even a little bit before that too; the scariest nightmares were of a world where your twin was nowhere to be found. By the time kindergarden rolled around, we were still inseperable; but we were also growing to be the very differenet people we are today and, like all siblings, we had more than our fair share of disagreements. On some level, I had always felt what Mel was feeling, known what she was thinking or doing; but not like you may think. It took an intense emotion or her sole focus on a single subject or object for me to get a feeling of what she was doing; she had always described it similarly to me. I had been able to feel Mel's saddness when her pet turtle, Gregory, had died when we were six, and my eyes had welled up with tears before I even heard the news. As far as thoughts go, that was trickier. It wasn't like that whole twin telepathy thing where I could think words directly to Mel and she could reply (Believe me, we tried), but more of a sudden change in the direction of my thoughts. I could be thinking about the delicious ham sandwich I would be having at lunch and than I would suddenly have an urge to think about which Barbie belonged in the dreamhouse most. It had been annoying, but had bonded us and it wasn't until we lost the twin connection that I missed it. That, of course, had happened after Melanie had continued to attempt to convince me of something that I knew with steadfast horror was absolutely false. Now, for the first time since we were twelve, I could feel her.

Before I could think any further, the memory of the first time I had woken in the hospital after the crash engulfes me.

_A white room with bright artificial light, silent except for a faint beeping, and no memory of how I had gotten there. I strain to remember something, anything, but I can't. My only thought being that I had to get out of here and find him. I wasn't 100% sure who the __**him**__ was, but I would figure it out. Pulling the breathing tube off of my nose and ignoring the beeps of protest as I sit up, peeling the tubes off of me as quickly as my shaky hands will allow. The room spins and my head throbs, my stomach protesting violently. Luckily, I haven't got anything to throw up. I get to my feet, wincing at the soreness that was on the borderline of pain. Nurses suddenly barge in, no doubt alerted by the machines, and the first nurse pulls me back towards the bed while murmuring reassurances. I strain against her, desperately searching for strength that didn't exist. Another nurse steps forward and my stomach lurches, bile filling my mouth for the second time. I don't try to swallow it this time, knowing that it would only come back up. The second nurse gives a small cry of surprise as they slip in the bile, falling back onto the other nurses. I fight against the first nurse, unable to do much else but kick the air. She halts our progress back to the hospital bed, wrapping her arms around my waist from behind as my kicks grow more frantic. It was a matter of life or death and he, whoever he was, needed me. The nurse calls for assistance, a man in blue scrubs hurrying into the room. I jerk sideways in an attempt to break her grip but my head makes contact with something hard. My headache explodes into dazzling spots of light, the pain unbearable. Somebody forces my arm straight, a sharp poke into my elbow and then I was falling…._

**Okay, so Sam's POV kind of got cut in half and the other half will be in next week's chapter. Please keep in mind that while this chapter didn't have very much Seddie fluff that this is key to the plot and how iShakespeare ends. I leave little hints everywhere...but do you catch them? What did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**HUGE thanks to all of the amazing reviewers that keep me going: delenaseddieluv, Intemporel, leodoglover, Mystapleza, PurpleMousefurGomez, seddieSUPERFAN101, Geekquality, Plant Love Grow Peace, AnimeRose93, AkinaMarie06, mirage888, Romance and Musicals, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Virgoleo23, rachim4, ChaosKeks, iMaximumSeddie, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, bluemystique, twilightcrazed999, Fabina 4 Evahz, m u l t i s e d d i e, CrystalKR1, Castle-of-Bones, coketree20, HugsandBugsSmileyface, Scarlett Chew, IamMu-chan, Maddz-A-Million, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, Quinno96, PartyPooper845, SeddieShortBus, iPeppyCola, ober22, Kpfan72491, icecoffee18, Mari13ssa, RaindropLove, bella3590, singstar29, and Himura2323! Want a cool shout out like this? All you have to do is REVIEW! **

**TO DELENASEDDIELUV: Bummer. :( Yep, Sam is a good pet owner though. :)**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: I totally agree about the Seddie fluff missing in Season 4 and I try to throw in as much as possible. :) Good line of the chapter, I felt great when I wrote that.**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Aww, I hope you get that worked out and can start logging in again. :(**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: No worries, about the last part: Sam climbs up the trellis to feed Frothy. On her way back down the trellis, Freddie startles her and she falls off a few feet above the ground and gets the wind knocked out of her. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks a BILLION for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	55. Murder

**Okay, so this is a longer chapter and there really isn't much Seddie; but it explains a lot about Sam. It also tells you why Sam is so sure that her falling in love with Freddie is karma's doing. Enjoy!**

Sam POV (continued)

I gasp for breath, tightening my grip on my plaid blanket, but the memory of the second time I had woken up in the hospital was already upon me.

_A tap on my shoulder summons me from wherever I had been and I lunge forward, thwarted by the restraints around my midsection and ankles. Still thrashing desperately, I notice the nurse for the first time and begin to fight even more desperately. I try to form words (well, demands really) but all that comes out is a dry rasping. The nurse eyes me warily, waiting patiently for me to stop. I finally am able to come to terms with the fact that I wasn't going to be freed at the present moment and slouch back against the bed, exhausted. My head feels like somebody had taken a jackhammer to it and even the slightest movements were suddenly daunting through my soreness. The nurse takes a step forward, slowly reaching out to offer me a glass of water. I study her carefully for a moment, wondering if there was any way I could force her to free me from my current position. Finding none, I raise my arm to take the glass, but wince immediately, collapsing back against the bed. Thrashing and any fighting back might seem necessary in the moment, but it was killing me now. I didn't know that it was possible for my body to ache like this, the mere thought of movement causing me pain. My attention switches to the room, recognizing the florescent light and sterile air of the hospital. Why was I here? All I could remember was that I was looking for __**him **__because that was the only thing that mattered anymore. The nurse reaches out to rest her hand on my shoulder gently, pulling back when I flinch at the contact._

"_Did that hurt?" She whispers, unwilling to speak any louder for some reason. I debate whether or not to answer but finally decide that it may be wise to befriend the woman who would be looking after me. She might be able to tell me who and where __**he**__ was and maybe even bring me to him. I open my mouth to answer, frowning when I can only force a dry rasp. The nurse leans forward and slides her arm around my back to pull me up slightly so I could take a drink of water. The cup of water is gone in seconds and the horrible taste in my mouth is a tiny bit better. I'm half aware of the buckles around my midsection and ankles being unfastened, but it was difficult to focus. Was I on pain meds or something? That would explain a lot…_

"_I'm sore." I remark, marveling at how my voice sounded. The thought stops me in my tracks and I try to recall anything about myself. Nothing, not even a name. Sensing my sudden realization, the nurse whispers to me again._

"_My name is Kelly. Your name is Sam." Sam. It sounded right when I tried it out in my head. Sam Puckett. The last name fit perfectly with the first name, but nothing else came to me. I lift my right arm absently, reaching up to scratch my head when I notice them. It had to be the pain meds, my brain playing tricks on me. "It was really bad when you first came in." Kelly whispers, gently reaching out to brush my arm. "Hardly a scar now." I study the almost flawless skin of my right arm, noticing on closer inspection the miniscule scars that were nearly invisible to the naked eye._

"_What happened?" I rasp, struggling with the effort of even holding up my right arm. It felt like the muscle had turned to jelly and I doubted I would ever be able to use my arm the way I had before. Whatever that before was._

"_Well," Kelly whispers, struggling for something to say. "There was glass. Glass shards all along here." She begins at the tip of my middle finger, tracing softly up to my shoulder. "You're lucky that Dr. Watkins was in today. I don't know who else could have gotten every shard of glass out." I study my arm, half in fascination and half in horror at the tiny pockmarks that represented the shards of glass. There were hundreds, all impossible to notice unless you brought them to someone's attention. Careful to use my other arm, I reach up to scratch my head and meet bandage. "That's the other thing." Kelly whispers, reaching out to hold my hand gently. "The doctor says you'll have all of your memory back in no time but you're lucky, very lucky. It's a miracle you're alive right now." _

"_What happened?" I repeat, almost afraid of the answer. The door suddenly opens and a blond-haired girl runs at me, inches from flinging herself on me when Kelly catches her and pulls her back. The girl continues to sob, tears falling thickly as her loud gasps for breath overwhelm me. My head throbs, the girl's sobbing driving my headache to the point where I was about to pass out and I realize why Kelly had been whispering. Kelly murmurs something to the girl as she restrains her, but the girl ignores her completely._

"_S-sam!" She chokes between sobs, struggling to breathe. I wince as she continues to scream, trying to ignore the pain in my head. Kelly pulls her out of the room, into the hallway, and dead silence reigns for the moment. I sigh in relief, closing my eyes and mentally trying to place the girl. She obviously knew me but I didn't have a clue who she was. The door opens, softly this time, and the girl returns with Kelly shadowing. The girl is still crying, but she's more contained and I guess that Kelly had threatened to kick her out if she couldn't control herself. Approaching slowly, the girl looks at me like I was a piece of her that had been returned despite the longest odds. She reaches me and leans down, carefully enfolding me in a hug. I freeze, unsure of what to do, while her tears soak my hospital gown. The girl finally pulls away, laughing breathlessly through her tears._

"_You do remember m-me. They said you probably wouldn't for now, but of course you remember me." The girl takes my left hand and grips it so tightly that I lose feeling in it. "I don't know what I would do w-without you." I stare at the girl blankly, finally turning to Kelly for help. For the first time, I notice that Kelly had left the room, probably trying to give us some privacy._

"_I…" I clear my throat, determined to continue. "I don't remember you." The girl falters, releasing my hand and backing into a chair by my bedside. She collapses into the chair, still staring at me like I was a walking ghost, my existence a contradiction to all of the odds the doctors had set me against._

"_But…you have to remember me." She leans forward, taking my hand again. "Sam, it's me. I don't look even the tiniest bit familiar?" She asks, beginning to panic now. I shake my head after a few seconds of studying her appearance. "Sam, I HAVE to look familiar. It's me, Melanie." Melanie. The name sounded slightly familiar, but it sounded better abbreviated as Mel. Mel Puckett. Just as I had rediscovered my name, Mel's name fit easily with Puckett. Which meant… "I'm your sister, Sam. We're twins."_

_Twins. I move my free hand, wincing as my muscle refused to cooperate, but still managing to lift some of my hair off of my shoulders. We both had long, blond hair. Mel's was down, ragged and scattered like she had been attempting to pull it out. I doubted my hair looked much better; which meant I was just as close to looking into a mirror as I could get right now. Silently taking in Mel's (well, my) appearance, I desperately push myself to remember. Nothing comes._

"_Sam." Mel asks gently, tightening her grip on my hand once more. "Can you remember what happened?" I start, looking at the girl who claimed to be my twin as a source of information for the first time. Ignoring the feeling of every fiber of my being screaming in protest at the movement, I jolt into a sitting position and get as close to Mel as possible._

"_What happened?" I demand, crushing her hand in mine. Mel flinches at the role reversal, begging me to calm down as every beeping machine in the room picks up. Kelly rushes back in, followed by another nurse._

"_Calm down, Sam." Kelly whispers, just loud enough to hear over the machines. The room shifts, spiraling in dizzying circles as my focus wavers. Sound cuts in and out and I close my eyes, trying to ignore the return of the killer headache. I'm vaguely aware of Mel's pleas not to leave her again, the flutter of activity as adults shouted orders to each other, but mostly there's the abyss of black that was safe, safe from having to remember things that refused to make themselves known and safe from whatever had landed me here in the first place. The sensation of falling, becoming all too familiar at this point, returns and I embrace it whole-heartedly._

It hadn't been like this for years. The connection between Mel and I had faded as our friendship had died, but now it was like the falling out had never happened. Stop, Mel, please stop. I grit my teeth, my desperate plea ignored as I was pulled under once more.

_I start awake, striking out at what I was sure was somebody trying to hold me down._

"_It's okay, Sam, it's okay." A girl's voice, accompanied by a gentle touch, calms me after a minute of frantic thrashing on my part. I turn to the bedside chair, recognizing its occupant at a glance._

"_Mel." I whisper, my dry throat refusing to allow me to speak any louder. Mel sighs in relief, wiping away tears before reaching out to take my hand._

"_You almost left me again, Sam." She stops, choking back tears as I begin to remember. I had been demanding something….beeping machines…dizzy…couldn't hear…black. "I can't lose you too." Mel really does break down this time, but her sobs are dried, devoid of the tears that had already been cried out.. My heart fractures in half for her, not missing the 'too'._

"_Who did you lose?" I whisper, dreading the answer. Mel shakes her head, unable to speak. I wait, the weight of suspended dread crushing me until I couldn't stand it anymore. That's the moment Mel is finally able to speak.  
_

"_There was an accident. They said that you shouldn't have lived and that it was a miracle that you survived with such minor injuries." Mel pushes on, before she can lose her courage. "Do you remember?" She tries, asking for the one thing I couldn't give._

"_No." I answer without hesitation, but Mel still pushes for more._

"_Try." She whispers. I close my eyes, searching for something that I knew wouldn't be there. To my surprise, blips, not full memories, but blips, appear: getting in the car with Dad, talking about something stupid, turning the radio on full blast, a women in an approaching car that meets my eyes in time for me to stop it, and then…nothing. I gasp, opening my eyes to escape from the blips, unable to imagine the terror of the entire, uncorrupted memory. I hope I never had to remember it completely, would be thrilled to never dwell on those blips of memory ever again. At that moment, the door bursts open and a tall women with short, blond hair walks in. The small part of me that was still functioning properly gives her a name. Mom._

_She enters the room slowly, all of her movements precise and cautiously slow. The horrible memories are suffocating, Mom's eyes burning into me to add to my terror. Her eyes are hatred itself, nothing but the dark depths that she wished she could push me into. I'm unable to move, like a helpless animal caught in the paralyzing stare of the predator. The beeping monitor accelerates at my fear but no one seems to notice. The doctor and nurses that follow Mom in are smiling grimly; acting like this was some great reunion despite the circumstances. She advances still closer, finally reaching the side of my bed. I pray that Mel will look up at her and see the death in her eyes; but Mel won't turn her gaze from me as she waited for me to react. Mom reaches out slowly, a hiss escaping her teeth the second before her hands jump forward to crush my arms. She shakes me viciously, like I was a rag doll, the monitors protesting as tubes and needles of all sorts are pulled out of me, but I'm still trapped by the death in her eyes and unable to do anything. Everything except her is a blur, the doctors and nurses that rush to my aid and Mel's shrieks barely recognizable over her eyes. Time slows down, her hands tightening on my arms until my bones feel like they're going to snap and the accusation is hissed in a whisper, audible only to me. Mom gives a name to my blips of memory, filling in the blank spots in my memory with that one accusation._

"_Murderer."_

_Time stops completely as the blips of memory suddenly make sense._

_My name is Sam Puckett. I'm a murderer._

_The shock was too much to bear._

Murderer. The only word that could give the 'accident' any truth. It had been murder, plain and simple. I bury my face in a pillow, silently begging Melanie to stop thinking about it. She doesn't.

_I woke, instinctively thrashing out at the people that I was sure were holding me down. After a moment of this, I come to the realization that the only person in the room was dozing off in a chair beside my bed. My stomach churns as I recognize the girl as Melanie, my memory of my last seconds of consciousness returning to me._

_My name is Sam Puckett. I'm a murderer._

_My determination to find __**him **__is extinguished as I began to grasp the implications of what that meant._

"_Sam?" Mel asked, rubbing her eyes and blinking at me. "Do you remember?" What a loaded question. Do you remember that you committed a murder? Do you remember what it felt like to have the chance to screw everything up? Do you remember how you ruined Mom's life? Do you remember how you ruined my life? Do you remember how you ruined your life?_

_I blink, hating the stubborn tears that began to fill my eyes. It wasn't like they could do anything now._

"_It was all my fault. I could have stopped it, I could have done something." I whisper, the weight of my crime too much. Melanie shakes her head and takes my hand, the steel in her voice something I was unused to._

"_No, Sam, no. It wasn't your fault at all. It was an accident." She continues to argue with me until it reaches the point where she's only making me feel worse and worse._

"_Stop!" I shout, pulling my hand out of her tight grip. "Don't try to convince me of something that isn't true."_

_Melanie didn't listen. She alternated between desperate pleas and angry threats to try and convince me it wasn't my fault. Melanie and I arguing didn't work. I was supposed to be the one that never gave up, never gave in; but Melanie had never backed down on this._

I try to stand but collapse to the floor as it all became too much. Luckily, Freddie had already fixed my cell phone and returned it to me earlier today. It was a struggle to sit up and lean against the couch, but I manage it. I reach out on the coffee table and snag my cell phone, hating myself for taking Melanie off my speed dial. Finally, after the last painstaking number, I dial. She picks up on the first ring, her sobs tugging at the already painful tear in my chest.

"I can feel you." We both murmur at the same time, the slightest feelings of pleasure at this muffled by the all consuming sorrow. I didn't cry. I just didn't. I had always been a tough kid, but, after the 'accident', my idea of things worth crying over had been decimated. I vowed that I would never cry over any misfortune or close call with death or traumatizing experience that was forced on me; it was only fair, only right for what I had done. Why had I cried when I had almost died on the window washer's platform? Carly had almost died. Why had I cried when I had to work at Chili My Bowl? They played that _song_ right before my shift was over. The song that could be recognized in that tiny blip of memory that I never dared to explore; the song that had been one of the distractions I had murdered _**him **_with.

Yet now, with the sobbing of my twin in the background, my ever-deteriorating will finally crumbles and a single tear rolls down my cheek.

"It wasn't your fault." Melanie insists breathlessly, obviously having just gone through the same hospital memories that had scarred her in just as many ways as they had scarred me. I wipe the single tear away, reminding myself that my punishment would be served out soon enough, and the walls that had been faltering for the last few weeks managed to regenerate themselves for those three words that had always defined our argument.

"But it was."

**So...what did you think? Next chapter will have some Seddie, but I the last two chapters have been HUGE to the plot. I've left many little hints, some more obvious than others, and I hope you find them! These last two chapters are meant to be a _little_ confusing, but if you are completely lost, please leave a review or PM me. :)**

**Wow, thanks to all of the reviewers! I'm almost to 1,500 (Let's get it this chapter) and it's all thanks to you: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, PurpleMousefurGomez, Lyllian CK, coketree20, mirage888, Geekquality, DelenaSeddieLuv, twilightcrazed999, Seddielovergrl, Himura2323, veeheart914, seddieroxxmysoxx, m u l t i s e d d i e, AnimeRose93, theofficialseddiefan, G, Mystapleza, Romance and Musicals, Castle-of-Bones, smiley face, Quinno96, bluemystique, Hannah Cha, Virgoleo23, RaindropLove, PartyPooper845, singstar29, popcorn1001, moonshinekiss, SeddieShortBus, CrystalKR1, Tvshowobsessed2, Kpfan72491, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, iMaximumSeddie, icecoffe18, Mari13ssa, iPeppyCola, and LaUr3n-ShAuNy! Want a cool shoutout like these awesome people? All you've got to do is review!**

**TO G: The hints are subtle and meant to be hard to find, so don't worry about it. :)**

**TO HANNAHCHA: Thanks for all of the feedback! Hmm...I don't know what the abbreviation for chapter is. Maybe chappy? A filler chapter is a chapter that, at least for me, has some plot points and is essential to the reader's understanding of the story, but may not be the most interesting thing in the world. At the moment, I don't intend to continue Mel's visit because, from where I left off, Melanie would have been unable to continue talking about it. :)**

**TO VIRGOLEO23: Glad you liked the little Lewbert/Marissa reference I threw in there! xD I love that you're paying so much attention to the chapter names and, to some extent, the titles do represent how Sam and Freddie are 'Slipping' or 'Falling' etc. :D**

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: I am very excited for iHire An Idiot! :D**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: In the chapter where Sam falls off of the trellis, Freddie is acting kind of frantic because he overheard part of Sam's phone conversation with Melanie where Sam says that she had been kicked out, not that she had moved out like she told Carly. Freddie doesn't know what Sam is doing at her house and, if she's been kicked out, he doesn't know if her mom will be angry...and an angry Puckett is enough to terrify anyone. Freddie was frantic because he was concerned for Sam. How many chapters? I've got and answered this question many times in the last few weeks. I can't give an honest estimate to how many chapters there will be, but, with the plot the way I plan it to be, it's probably going to be about a hundred chapters. This is a VERY rough estimate. **

**So...that's about it! It only takes a minute to review, so please do! :) **


	56. Paradox

**WOW! Thank you all so much for helping me reach 1,500 reviews! Enjoy...**

Carly POV 3:00PM Day 13

It was satisfying to be distracted from my betrayal, even if I felt guilty about leaving Sam alone. This week was always the toughest for her, when the memories became too strong and she just needed a change of scenery. I load the potato gun for the third time, my soundproof earphones chafing my ears, and raise it at the target. Was it dangerous to fire a potato gun in the iCarly studio? Probably. Was it fun? Heck yes. I pull the trigger, the slight recoil jarring me as the potato splatters on the target. It would be a cool segment if all worked out correctly. I quickly decide to wait until rehearsal to ask Sam and Freddie about it, mostly because I felt so _guilty _around them already and having something to discuss would make it a little easier. I doubt that the gossip girls could actually prove anything, but even the threat of them finding proof of Sam and Freddie's kiss was enough to set me on edge. Finally, after I had exhausted the reasonable amount of time to test an iCarly bit, I made my way downstairs. Sam was sitting on the couch watching reruns of Girly Cow, her back to me.

"Hey, Sam. What episode is this?" I settle onto the couch next to her, keeping my attention on the screen. When she doesn't respond, I turn to her. "Sam?" She doesn't appear to be looking at anything in particular, especially since her eyes are glazed over. Sam blinks at my question, coming away from a faraway place before looking at me.

"Have you ever wanted to have an identical twin before?" For the first time, I notice exactly how bloodshot Sam's eyes are and realize she must have been crying.

"I..I guess." I begin, unsure of what to do. "Even though it would be tricky to get used to someone who looked exactly like you, it would be kind of nice to have someone that you could turn to, no matter what." Sam seems to absorb this, nodding her head slowly.

"You're wrong. It's not that hard to get used to because it's been that way for as long as you can remember. Unless you're separated at birth and suddenly run into your twin one day and realize you're both witches. **(A/N: Twitches…much funnier in my head though.)** That would be trippy." Sam seems to be rambling at this point, unaware that I'm present. "The worst part is that whole 'twin telepathy' thing." Sam's voice rises to a shout and she throws a tissue box I hadn't noticed before across the room. "IT PISSES ME OFF!" Sam quiets, her eyes glazing over once more as she stares at the wall to the left of the TV. I'm paralyzed with shock, wondering what the heck was going on between her and Melanie. They hardly ever talked to each other, from what I could see. It hadn't always been that way though. In the earlier days of our friendship, Sam and Melanie had been just about as close as anybody could be, even though Melanie had recently started to attend a boarding school halfway across the country. Then _it _had happened and everything had changed.

I finally gather the courage to reach out tentatively, hugging Sam tightly. It takes her a moment to respond, but, when she does, she hugs me tightly, the human contact comforting her to some degree.

"Let's get you cleaned up." I say after a time, pulling back slowly. Sam nods once, her bloodshot eyes and tearstained cheeks telling me all I needed to know.

After a quick shower, new clothes, half of a buffet courtesy of my kitchen, and the latest Girly Cow season on marathon, Sam was back to her usual self. I envied her, I really did. I had seen it many times before, but it never ceased to amaze me how quickly Sam was able to return to that whole I-don't-care-what-you-think-I'm-invincible persona that seemed to define Sam Puckett in most people's minds. As her best friend, I had to wonder if it was healthy. Could you simply hit the restart button, shut yourself down, and pretend like it had never happened? But that was how Sam coped.

Had a fight with Carly and can't seem to find a way to make up? Restart, pretend like the issue didn't exist and didn't bother you one bit.

Realized your boyfriend (*ahem, Jonah, ahem*) is a complete jerk and tried to kiss your best friend? Restart, pretend like the issue didn't exist and didn't bother you one bit.

Discovered that Freddie quit iCarly in favor of his icky girlfriend's new webshow? Restart, pretend like the issue didn't exist and didn't bother you one bit.

Of course, this didn't mean that Sam would spare you from a revenge that would make you wish you had never crossed her in the first place, but it did mean she would forget the problem had even existed in the first place. If you forgot the problem even existed in the first place, it couldn't hurt you anymore. Whatever it took to solve or revenge the issue was simply Sam on autopilot.

"Hey, you got anymore spray cheese, Carls?"

I was very, very jealous.

Wendy POV 6:00PM (East Coast Time) Day 13

It was dinner time by now and the whole clan sat down together to eat. Everyone. All of my dumbass cousins, eccentric aunts and uncles, crazy grandparents, and more types of extended family then I could begin to count; kind of like trying to figure out how many dogs Paris Hilton has. I was still hoping for Heather's call…well, anything really, to get me out of this.

"Pass the mashed potatoes, please." The bowl was twice the size of my head, but I somehow manage to get it over to my Uncle Arnold. Now, for the record, Uncle Arnold only LOOKS like that pedophile they showed on America's Most Wanted. He's actually a pretty cool dude and he even offered me candy once. _Buzz. Buzz. _I duck under the table, among a sea of hairy legs (yes, I'm talking to you Aunt Barbara!) to answer the call.

"Hello?" I answer, edging away from my cousin Nelson's feet. If your toenails are cracked further then Grandma Darla's door when the "handsome, strapping young lad" arrives to deliver the mail, you may want to avoid the sandals, Nelson.

"You're going to love me forever for this." Heather's voice comes, a mixture of smugness and shock. "I got it, got it all. No sound, but we've got the kiss on video." I pull the phone away from my ear, stifling the shout of victory before it escapes my lips.

"Amazing job. Can you send it to me?" I ask, trying not to gag when Nelson moves his feet. The last time I had smelled something so bad, it was when Gibby had made a bet with that Reuben kid to see who could go without a shower the longest. It had been nearly impossible to salvage Gibby's already precarious rep, but Tasha had begged me to do what I could.

"Already did. Oh, Mom's home. Catch you later." Heather hangs up before I can respond, but I don't blame her. Heather's mom worked eighty hour weeks at the hospital and the majority of her time at home was spent sleeping. I open my email, biting my lip in anticipation. This was the ultimate piece of evidence against Sam and Freddie. Carly would be nothing but a pawn after we held this over her head, but, more importantly, we controlled every aspect of the game now.

The video opens on Sam and Freddie talking; but the security camera was angled in such a way that I couldn't read their lips. Sam moves closer, shifting towards Freddie and, after a pause, it happens. The next eight seconds (I counted) are enough to make me very, very happy. Even though it was from some kind of security camera, the footage was clear and the evidence was undeniable: Sam and Freddie had kissed.

It was an easy matter to slip back into my chair, acting as if I had never been absent and silently considering the possibilities from here. We could do anything from here and the thought gave me some kind of high as the wonderful feeling flooded through me. I was going to win. Not that Sam and Freddie knew that yet.

Freddie POV 9:00PM Day 13

"I'm pretty sure that's the best iCarly we've ever done!" I finish pouring the iced tea, setting down the pitcher before sliding Sam and Carly's drinks across the counter. Carly murmurs agreement before taking a sip from her tea.

"Definitely. I think that pathetic play bit you two and Gibby did was the best." Sam said nothing, distracted, as she took a sip. I automatically thank Carly and compliment her performance in the webcast before turning to Sam.

"Hello? Still with us, Puckett?" I ask, waving my hand in front of Sam's face. She blinks once, scowling and slapping my hand away.

"You started talking and I almost fell asleep. Who's really to blame here?" Sam raises an eyebrow, staring me down as she takes a sip of her tea. I roll my eyes, deciding to ignore that. Carly, always the peacemaker, intervenes.

"You did look kind of daydreamy there, Sam." Sam shrugs, swirling the drink with her straw before responding.

"I could go for a sandwich." With no further explanation, Sam drifts away from the counter towards the fridge. Carly's phone vibrates and I move to the couch, turning the TV on. Sam returns, ham sandwich in hand, and settles on the far end of the couch. Her sock-clad feet stretch out to rest on my lap and I make a weak attempt to push her away before giving in, as usual.

"No way!" Carly exclaims, already texting back. I turn around to look at Carly, but Sam beats me to it.

"What's up?" Sam asks, the majority of her attention still on her ham sandwich. Carly looks up from her phone, swiveling her stool to face us.

"You know that girl, Becky? The one that's in the play?" I vaguely remembered Becky from the Spanish class we had had together freshman year.

"Tall? Dark hair?" Sam asks, reluctantly giving more of her attention to Carly. Carly nods once before continuing.

"That's the one. She just forwarded me a message for the entire drama department. It says 'Esposito rented that hotel again. We've got full run of the place'."

"That can't be what it sounds like." Sam and I say at the same time, exchanging a long look before turning back to Carly.

"I'm pretty sure it is. Ms. Esposito rented a _hotel_." Carly nods, her phone vibrating with Becky's confirmation text. "Yep, Becky said it's a place called the Halden." Sam quirks her eyebrows, staring back at me with the same astonishment I was feeling. Carly swivels to face the computer in front of her, searching for the Halden. "Whoa, check this out!" Sam polishes off her ham sandwich before pulling her feet off of my lap and getting to her feet. We crowd on either side of the computer, studying the luxury hotel with shocked silence. Carly clicks on more pictures: showing us beautiful oceanfront rooms, an enormous dining room, and the rocky ocean shore. It was, without a doubt, among the best hotels I had ever seen. Despite the compelling mystery behind it all, it's Sam's close proximity that renders me speechless for the moment.

Sam POV 9:10PM Day 13

I'm unable to focus any of my attention on Carly beyond a few smiles and nods, the majority of my attention on Freddie's closeness. His shoulder was touching mine, somehow managing to be too close and too far at the same time. My body was on edge, my hand drifting towards his with no conscious thought to guide it, pushing me to give in to what I wanted. I was seriously starting to worry that what I wanted would eventually take on devil form and perch on my shoulder, voicing what my body was so obviously trying to tell me. My mind-the angel in the scenario, I suppose-is what makes me pull my hand away before I can make contact. I still can't bring myself to completely sever contact from him and keep my shoulder still, absorbing him silently. Karma had given me five years to grow up and fall in love, but my time was almost up. I didn't doubt that it would extract revenge swiftly and mercilessly, just as I deserved. A life for a life; but not in the way you might assume. It wasn't going to kill me, and the Puckett spirit that lived inside me rallied at this. Karma was going to take from me everything that had been taken from Mom; and the impact of her shattered world was far worse than any car crash.

The feel of fingers, soft but slightly calloused, sliding into my hand and filling the spaces between my fingers brings me out of my thoughts. There's the jolt of awareness, as always, but the silent sense of comfort he seems to be radiating is what really startles me. I look over at Freddie, reflexively shifting my fingers tighter around his hand, and notice a brief flicker of acknowledgement across his features. He isn't looking at me, only the silent acknowledgment and radiating comfort giving any hint that he was aware of me. His lips move, all of his attention seemingly focused on the brunette poised on the stool in front of us. Carly's intent focus rests on the computer screen, unaware of anything that happened between Freddie and I. I flex my fingers, shifting a tiny portion of my weight in Freddie's direction to rest against his arm.

It's a horrible paradox, really.

One of my best friends, the one I had never been able to bring myself to trust, was the only person that always seemed to know when something was wrong. The simple response was to take my hand, to help a friend in need, but that wasn't what was so amazing about it. It was a deeply dangerous task to hold my hand, unless I initiated the contact, and it was especially dangerous if your name happened to be Freddie Benson, but he seemed to instinctively know exactly how to go about it: don't look, don't show any kind of feeling, and do it quickly, before I could protest. Essentially, pretend nothing had transpired. It was terrifying that he seemed to know this, revealing exactly how well he really knew me. The inevitable rejection when Freddie finally figured out what was going on would be especially devastating now, a rejection of every aspect of the personality he seemed to know so well. The boy I happened to be in love with was comforting me over the rejection he, one of my best friends, hadn't even given yet.

I tighten my grip on his hand, absorbing the comfort it brought with silence.

**So, what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review? :(**

**Again, I owe all of the reviewers who helped me reach so many reviews! Thanks to: rachim4, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, popcorn10001, veeheart914, Seddielovergrl, Geekquality, Lyllian CK, Virgoleo23, PurpleMousefurGomez, Weasleyishere2, AndySaysTed, coketree20, Gabsikle, ChaosKeks, violet0scar, leodoglover, iMaximumSeddie, twilightcrazed999, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, mirage888, Tvshowobsessed2, AnimeRose93, Romance and Musicals, bella3590, m u l t i s e d d i e, wakawakababe, Quinno96, Fabina 4 Evahz, alliebearlove, AkureiXEnzeru, xBeckyBooHerex, RaindropLove, Hannah Cha, Castle-of-Bones, IamMu-chan, SeddieShortBus, The Donut Eater, singstar29, AkinaMarie06, CrystalKR1, bluemystique, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, PhoebeTigger, smileyface, Mardelzor, Himura2323, Kpfan72491, Aaron Peallegreeny, and icecoffee18! **

**TO WEASLEYISHERE2: Wow, thanks! New chapters up every Saturday, I hope you continue reading. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: I wish I had a twin sometimes, how is it?**

**TO HANNAHCHA: Giving a hint about the hints? That's no fun! Do hospitals always fasten you to your bed? The hospital was forced to fasten Sam down because Sam was hurting herself and the nurses by trying to fight them off. As soon as Sam calmed down, the nurse took off the restraints. Would a mother do that to her child? Don't judge until you've heard the entire story. Tough, I know, since you've only heard one side of it.**

**TO AARON PEALEGREENY: I really hope you're just a troll and, if you are, leave. If you aren't a troll, please don't ever breed.**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :D**


	57. Game On

**New chapter! Read on...**

Freddie POV 9:20PM Day 13

It was an odd feeling to be comforting Sam Puckett. Of course I'd done it on exceedingly rare ocassions, in discreet and almost unnoticeable ways, but that was the only way to do it. Sam has lots of friends, but Carly is the only one she confides in to any extent. I wasn't really sure what Sam and I were, where we stood.

Friends? Of course. We could have fun together if we didn't argue and even arguing could be fun if it was with Sam.

Enemies? Most definitely. There were times when Sam made me want to rip my hair out in frustration.

Frenemies? Ehh. It seemed inadequate to describe Sam and I, missing a lot of the grey area that had never made any sense.

After about fifteen seconds of the Herculain task of keeping up a conversation with Carly while holding Sam's hand, I almost jump when Sam tightens her grip on my hand. I had known something was wrong, but had expected her to shake off my hand after a moment of quick comfort that we would pretend never happened. I obviously hadn't anticipated the depth of Sam's sorrow.

"-don't know how she could possibly afford it." Carly says, continuing to scroll through the pictures that the internet search had pulled up. It's a full thirty seconds before Sam releases my hand, heading into the kitchen before I can catch a glimpse of her face. I shake my head slightly, forcing myself to forget what had happened, and ask Carly to move. She obliges but asks what I was going to do.

"A hunch." I reply, settling into the stool and resting my fingers on the keys. With hesitation, I open another search and type in the name 'Evelina Esposito'. That was what Ivan had called her as he testified her importance. Surely, if she was that important, she was on the internet. "Woah." Carly and I mutter in unison as I scroll down the search page.

"Sam, come here." Carly calls, pointing at the screen. I feel Sam leave the kitchen and hover over my opposite shoulder, water in hand. I finally decide on a link, clicking it and blinking when a portrait of a pretty woman popped up on the screen. It appeared to be an old photograph, faded slightly, but the woman couldn't have been over thirty in the picture. She had dark, flowing hair that ended just after her shoulders and a smile that almost managed to match Sam's smile in brilliancy.

"Easy, Fredison." Sam laughs, elbowing my arm. "I saw that. A brunette, too. You gonna go after her?" I look back at the smirking blond, rolling my eyes and scoffing.

"Yeah, right." Carly says, leaning over my shoulder to look at the picture for further inspection. Sam and I both turn to her in surprise, waiting. Carly finally notices our stares, looking away from the picture as she realized her mistake. "What? I just don't think she's really his type."

"Please, Shay. Brunette hair, short dress, pretty smile. Whoever this chick is, Freddork here would definitely give it a go." Sam took a drink of her water, almost doing a spittake at Carly's response.

"Maybe, if she was blond." Carly reddens immediately, stammaring to recover. "I mean, Freddie's open to all hair colors, right?" I try not to wonder how this had turned into a delicate debate over my preferences in girls and focus on trying to save face.

"Sure, I went out with Melanie, didn't I?" As soon as I say it, I wince. A second later, Sam's fist lands on my shoulder and I yelp in pain.

"Oh, what a FANTASTIC example, Benson!" Sam was angry, and rightfully so, but she also sounded the tiniest bit…flustered?

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that, Sam." Carly responds to my silent plea for help, trying to turn our attention back to our task. "Maybe we should try something else because I really doubt that this is the same Evelina Esposito that we're looking for." I look back at the picture, seconds away from agreeing, when I notice it. Sam seems to see it at the exact same moment I do, giving a small cry of surprise at the discovery. "What is it?" Carly asks, scanning the page for something she might have missed.

"Her eyes." Sam and I say at the same time, Sam reaching over my shoulder to point them out. They were the exact shade of soft green that we had seen behind Ms. Esposito's glasses so many times, making this person…

"Evelina Espinosa." Sam breathes, finishing my thought. "Scroll down, Fredbag." I obey, reading the short bio under the picture and trying to make it fit with the woman I knew as Ms. Esposito. In some ways it did and in others it didn't. There was an utter lack of information about anything other than her career, something I found odd. The bio put her on the Broadway stage for the first time at twenty-two before she abrubtly moved to Los Angeles stage at age twenty-six, the Chicago stage at age twenty-eight, the Atlanta stage at twenty-nine, the Seattle stage at thirty-two, the Boston stage at thirty-three, the San Fransisco stage at thirty-four, the Miami stage at age thirty-five, and settled her on Broadway until her sudden retirement at age fifty-four.

"Wow, she moved around a lot." I finally say, reading over the locations once more. "Why would she do that?"

"Family?" Sam suggests, pulling her arm off of my shoulder. I hate the feeling of being seperated once more, but my stomach shifts sickeningly at what Sam could do that to me just by placing her arm on my shoulder. That wasn't healthy.

That kiss today shouldn't have happened, even if the script would eventually require it, and I defintitely shouldn't be thinking about it right now. If I was being completely honest, the first time Sam and I had kissed had been awkward, at first, but, once I got past the intitial shock that I was kissing Sam Puckett, it had been nice. There had been _something_ about that kiss that I just couldn't put my finger on. The second time we had kissed, at rehersal last week, it was completely Romeo and Juliet on both sides, nothing more than the characters taking control, but that didn't mean I couldn't feel that _something _once more. Today, sick person that I was turning out to be, I had taken advantage of Sam's character and kissed her when she had started to go with the scene. Romeo had been present for the slightest of seconds, pushing me into the kiss, but had disappeared the second I had actually done it. Then it was Freddie Benson kissing the Sam who was in character as Juliet. Yet the _something_ had returned once more, intoxicating and just as mystifying as it had been in the first two kisses.

Why did it only exist when I was kissing Sam? The very question sent a chill up my spine and I shiver.

"I doubt it." Carly finally responded, pulling me out of my thoughts. "See if there's anything about her personal life on here." After a moment of searching, I found a second biography. It was more of the same, a huge paragraph on her career and many achievements but only a few sentences on her personal life: 'Although the United States Government has confirmed that Esposito achieved citizenship in 1968 at age twenty-eight, nothing is known of her origin except rumors that her accent is that of cultured Italian-English. Esposito actively declines comments on family, friends, and her past and is known for living privately. She has no known family and has never been married.'

I frown, rereading her employment history and the vaugeness of her past.

"It almost sounds like she was on the run." Sam says, stealing my thoughts once more.

"On the run from what?" Carly asks, still reading the page.

"Good question." Sam and I say at the same time, turning to look at each in what I expect to be annoyance. Sam hated when we spoke at the same time and we had already done it about five times today. Instead, her expression of confusion softens to something even I don't recognize. I imagine it would have looked like a staring contest, but it was anything but that. I wasn't sure what it was exactly, but the mystery of Sam's past nudged the boundries of my thoughts. All I really knew was that time had ceased to exist and, in the one moment where Sam slipped up and her eyes shone with what she was trying to hide, I understood one thing: her past was working against her. Sooner or later, she would break. Maybe even more than that (I hadn't thought it possible) was a sense of forbidding. She didn't trust me, not one bit, and was going to hold me at arm's length because I could never be trusted.

"A very good question." I repeat faintly, watching Sam's eyes ice over and her shoulders stiffen. Ms. Esposito wasn't the only one on the run.

Wendy POV 12:30AM (East Coast Time) Day 14

"You sure you're done for the night?" I ask, still surprised that she had thrown in the towel already. "You don't have to leave just because of me." I, on the other hand, was exhausted and was most certainly done for the night.

"I'm sure." My older cousin insists, leading the way out of the massive, pulsating dance floor. After dinner, our family had broken into its natural divisions and the young adults had claimed the dance floor as their own. It would have been kind of lame if the only people there were cousins so distant I could barely remember who the hell they were, but some locals had heard about the gathering and crashed the family reunion. There was blaring music, plenty of cute boys to go around, and hypnotic flashing lights; but I was too tired to really enjoy any of it. My older cousin, Hannah, was one of the few family members I actually looked forward to seeing and she had agreed to leave with me.

"So, how are things?" I ask as the music fades to a distant hum. Hannah laughs, winding her way back to the hotel rooms that had been reserved for us.

"Busy, as always. I'm sure Ridgeway isn't a picnic either." I shrug, falling into step beside her.

"Always has been busy. Your magazine?" I reply, waiting with actual interest.

"Ha. I've been assigned to celebrity beach bodies." Hannah grimaces, her pain evident.

"In May?" I ask, unbelieving. Hannah shrugs, coming to a stop outside her hotel room.

"Apparently. Celebrities just don't seem to be doing stupid or even noteworthy things the last few weeks and that's what I've been reduced too." Hannah sighs, looking down and pulling a brown strand of hair out of her face. "We'll get through it. No credible gossip magazine would admit otherwise." With a laugh and a good night, Hannah exits and I continue the walk to my room. It isn't until I collapse onto my bed that I smile slightly. Hannah and the magazine would get through this slump, I was sure of it. I mentally run through the tasks for tomorrow (well, later today) but feel myself slipping into sleep before I can finish.

The last thought I'm sensible of is a happy one: Game on, Sam and Freddie, game on.

**So...what did you think? How many of you guessed that Ms. Esposito was Italian? :)**

**HUGE thanks to: Geekquality, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, RaindropLove, Virgoleo23, rachim4, Seddielovergrl, alwayssmiling11, XcrozzybabezX, Lyllian CK, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Quinno95, Anonymous, leodoglover, PurpleMousefurGomez, Mari13ssa, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, twilightcrazed999, Castle-of-Bones, dqlisa, ober22, mirage888, theofficialseddiefan, m u l t i s e d d i e, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, Hannah Cha, Godhelpus, iMaximumSeddie, SeddieShortBus, coketree20, bluemystique, AnimeRose93, singstar29, soultaker97, samandfreddie38, malexforever7, veeheart914, Himura2323, ChaosKeks, NickJonas'girl02, BeccaJamieThomas93, Romance and Musicals, moonshinekiss, CrystalKR1, Fabina 4 Evah, Kpfan72491, and Mardelzor!**

**TO ANONYMOUS: Wow, thanks! Your review definitely made me smile! :D**

**TO HANNAH CHA: If it really bothers you, I can put a space between your name, it's just a habit to make it one word. xD I hate Wendy also, to be completely honest. It would be a lie to say that the gossip girls are going to back off even the slightest bit. About your idea: I think it would make a great story! Can you get an account to write it?**

**TO GODHELPUS: None taken, sorry you feel that way.**

**TO MALEXFOREVER7: Wow, thanks! :D**

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! One of the most difficult chapters to write so far, but it turned out pretty good. :D**

**TO FABINA4EVAH: Haha, I love to use the word 'chappie' too! I think I would like to have a twin, even if it was annoying sometimes. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	58. Two Strikes

**New chapter! Enjoy...**

Carly POV 11:00AM Day 14

The sound of a dull buzzing interrupts the contorted reality of my dreams and it takes a moment to realize that the buzzing is, in fact, part of reality. Turning to the sound, I fumble around for the phone until I finally find it.

"Hello?" I manage to say, holding the phone to my ear and sinking back into the pillows.

"Hey Carly, it's Melanie. I didn't wake you up, did I?" Melanie is obviously sorry to have woken me up, but the undercurrent in her voice suggests something that couldn't wait until later today. I look over at my alarm clock, deciding to be forgive her since it was already so late in the morning.

"No problem, I was just getting up anyway. What's up?" I reply dully, stretching and rubbing sleep out of my eyes.

"Sam hasn't been answering her phone and I wanted to ask you a very simple, no strings attached kind of question." Melanie chooses her words carefully, the urgency in her voice subdued with forced calm.

"Yeah, sure." I answer quickly, curiosity pulling me out of my sleep haze.

"I wanted to ask Sam, but I doubt she'd answer me anyway." Melanie halts, struggling with something. "Did Sam tell you what happened yesterday?"

"No, what happened?" My pulse picks up, sensing the dire nature of the situation.

"We kind of….reconnected. It hasn't been like that since we were twelve. It's too difficult to explain, so I'm not going to try." Pause…long pause. "I just wanted to ask if something was going on between Sam and Freddie." Melanie seems to hold her breath, waiting for my answer.

"It's complicated. Why?" I finally reply, unable to think of a better way of putting it.

"It…it's just that, every so often, I can tell that Sam's focusing on something and a lot of the time it's food, but Freddie isn't that far behind. Is she…maybe…it sounds kinda crazy…crushing on Freddie?" Melanie seems relieved to get this off of her chest and I sit in silence for a moment before answering.

"As far as I know, they're still the frenemies we know and love, but they're both crushing on each other big time. They haven't done anything about it though." I feel the same kind of relief of getting something off of my chest and smile, sitting up and preparing to get out of bed.

"How cute! That explains a lot!" Melanie stops her gushing, debating on whether or not to go forward. "Can you do me a favor Carly?" Her voice is grave, the exact opposite of what it was before.

"Of course." I finally answer, hesitant to make a promise about something so serious.

"Watch out for Sam. Something about it being five years…" Melanie clears her throat, her voice wavering as she continues. "…it makes it worse than ever before." She's unable to continue, her shaky breaths audible over the line.

"I will, Melanie. I always do."

Freddie POV 2:30PM Day 14

"Trust me, Shay, identical twins can have absolutely nothing in common." Sam says, sipping the smoothie we had taken to go from the Groovy Smoothie. Carly and Sam sat on the couch, watching a rerun of Girly Cow, and I had absolutely no idea how they had even gotten on this topic.

"Well, they look the same." Carly responds, turning to look at Sam. I peer over my laptop for the first time, allowing a break in my concentration. It was hard work to install a new game on the iCarly site, but the work was interesting and few things could distract me.

"Okay, but that's a given. Personality wise, they can be completely different." Sam takes a loud sip of her smoothie, still devoting most of her attention to the Girly Cow rerun. I shift in my chair, watching the progress of the debate with interest.

"I know that identical twins can have completely different personalities; I've met you and Melanie. I'm simply saying that you wouldn't be able to tell identical twins apart if you were just to look at them." Carly replies, turning her attention back to the television. So quickly that I almost think I imagine it, Sam's eyes dart from the rerun to me. We both look away, abashed at being caught, and I feel my cheeks grow warm.

"Carls, even Freddork could tell Melanie and I apart by looking at us. He was _so _convinced that it was me acting as her, so it must have been something in her appearance that convinced him Melanie existed." Sam says, purposely keeping her attention focused on Carly now. Carly looks over at me, surprised at the sudden change in the direction of the conversation.

"I don't think that's how he told you apart." Carly disagrees, turning her focus back to Sam. Sam slurps her smoothie before responding, pivoting her entire torso to face me.

"How's about it, Fredwad? How did you tell Mel and I apart?" It was nice to finally be given an invitation to join one of their this-is-a-girl-talk-so-you-better-not-interrupt-us, but, in the context, something I'd rather avoid.

"Uhh…you dressed differently." The lie sounds false even to me and I wince when Sam raises her eyebrows.

"Try again, Fredison." Sam prompts, her expression unreadable.

"Well, she…she talked a little bit differently than you do." This lie was even worse than the first and I recoil slightly at Sam's response.

"Two strikes." It's a scary thing to watch Sam Puckett go from expressionless to angry. It's a terrifying thing to watch Sam Puckett go from expressionless to angry in under three seconds.

"I think we should watch the movie now. Don't you think so, Freddie?" Carly's attempt to rescue me is beyond clumsy, but I jump at the chance.

"Yeah, I think we should." I say eagerly, unable to completely ignore Sam's murderous glares.

"Answer the question, Benson." Sam gets up off of the couch, standing over me with the type of fierce intimidation that had always scared me. I'm unable to do anything, paralyzed, and Sam reaches down, gripping my collar before pulling me to my feet roughly. I stumble a tiny bit, swallowing heavily at how close Sam's face suddenly was. Sam isn't completely immune, blinking at how things had changed since she had last had me in this particular hold. I had just handcuffed her to Gibby (She put a_ fish_ in my locker!) and she had gripped my shirt exactly like she was now. Her fingers were still tight on my collar, but, because of our difference in heights, she was forced to choose between standing on her tiptoes or moving closer and resting her elbows against my chest. Sam shakes off her momentary moment of shock, picking option number three (of course) and jerking me down by my shirt, almost to her level. "How did you tell me apart from my twin sister?" Her voice is a whisper, the inches separating us almost too far for the question to travel. I swallow heavily, trying not to think about how easy, how little energy it would require to close the miniscule distance between us.

"I was already suspicious, but I was sure you were trying to trick me." Sam quirks an eyebrow, silently urging me to continue. "It wasn't until I went out with…your sister…that I figured it out." I'm surprised I'm able to speak at all, but I'm too busy trying not to caught up in her that all I can do is pray that she'll buy it. Sam is silent, her eyes dimming as the intimidation faded, and I feel her fingers loosen on my collar.

I might have gotten away with it too, if it hadn't been for what she did next.

Sam wasn't pleading for any answers and, for some reason, her intimidation had fallen apart. Unfortunately, her eyes fill with a reluctant trust, accepting my answer even though I was sure she must know there was more too it. That reluctant trust, exactly what Sam had never given me, but what I had always wanted, was what made me blurt out exactly what I had been trying to keep from her.

"You kiss differently." Sam's fingers freeze on my collar, tightening once more after a moment. I squeeze my eyes shut for a second, cursing myself, before opening them to the blonde inches from my face once more. It doesn't take more than a second to read Sam's eyes, but it leaves me fumbling for a response.

_How so?_

Sam watches my hesitation play out, her eyes roving over my face. I try to hide my line of thought, and pray I'm reasonably successful. My first kiss with Sam had been awkward, but tinged with that _something_ that had made me want to kiss her again. Carly was a decent kisser, but she was very pushy and overly protective when it came to that kind of stuff. It felt odd kissing her, the _something_ that had been there in my first kiss completely missing and, after I had broken up with her, I had realized that we were better off in a brother/sister type of dynamic. Melanie, similarly to Carly, had been forceful and almost seemed to be hoping that there was something there that just wasn't. It had left me with a lot to think about. Did you only feel that _something _on the first kiss? Or was it Sam?

The question had haunted me through the other few kisses I had had at parties or first dates. They never got past the first date anymore. When we hit junior year, I had hoped that the little crush I seemed to have on Sam Puckett was just a figment of my imagination or hormones of some kind messing with me. Sam wasn't perfect, but neither was I or anyone else I knew. Carly had her flaws, even if they weren't immediately evident, but her image as the 'perfect girl' was what made her so popular in school. Well, being the 'perfect girl' and being the host of iCarly. Sam was a hard person to get to know, not just because she was rude and unaccommodating to all she didn't know and even to those she did know, but also because she didn't want people to really know her. It had taken me six years to get as far as I was today, and there were still things about Sam that I didn't know or even come close to understanding.

All this thinking about kissing was NOT helping how close Sam was right now.

I finally respond to Sam's question with a shrug, reluctantly elaborating when her eyes narrow.

"Melanie's a little….aggressive." There's a moment of dead silence and all the fear, all the apprehension, fades. Sam loosens her grip on my collar, pulling back a little bit. A brilliant smile erupts as she begins to laugh uncontrollably, bowing her head and shaking with giggles. I smile, my goofy laugh echoing around the apartment. In that one moment, I remembered why I fell in love with Sam. There were times we couldn't stand each other when I often feared for my well-being, but there had been more and more moments like this that made me…for lack of a better word…_happy_. It wasn't the happiness I got from hanging out with my other friends, it wasn't the happiness I felt when Pear released their newest electronic device, it wasn't the happiness I got from getting a good grade on a test or even that happiness from being loved by my friends and family. It was a special Sam happiness that, even though it had began to happen more often, could never happen enough. After a minute, we both manage to stop, Sam raising her head once more to meet my eyes. We both smile a little easier, Sam flattening out my collar before withdrawing her hands.

"Movie, anyone?" Carly asks from the kitchen, unsurprised at our little spinoff moment. Even after Sam moves away, clamoring over the huge bowl of buttered popcorn Carly presented her with, I stare after her, a smile still on my face.

This was what happiness was.

**A lot of behind the scenes plot hints were in this chapter, did you find them? I've gone over my plan for this story and worked out a lot of the details. So, I'm now able to tell you that there will be about 25 more chapters that will cover everything until the play, the play, and the aftermath of the play. Thanks for your support! :)**

**HUGE thanks to the reviewers! You guys really keep me going, so here's a shout out: rachim4, HannahCha, iMaximumSeddie, BeccaJamieThomas93, Plant Love Grow Peace, lolliepop100, veeheart914, ChaosKeks, samandfreddie38, coketree20, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, PurpleMousefurGomez, SeddieShortBus, twilightcrazed999, Anonymous, mirage888, randomness101-Fanfic Freak, Himura2323, Mari13ssa, bluemystique, Seddielovergrl, bella3590, Geekquality, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, AnimeRose93, Mystapleza, XcrozzybabezX, Fabina 4 Evahz, Kpfan72491, theofficialseddiefan, Castle-of-Bones, iPeppyCola and singstar29!**

**TO HANNAH CHA: So many questions! Why don't you leave one big review with all of your questions so I can answer them easier for both of us? :)**

**TO LOLLIEPOP100: Wow, thanks! :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS: Glad you like it so much! Thanks for reviewing! :D**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Haha, thanks! :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: No worries, glad you're back! :)**

**Thanks so much for reading and please, please REVIEW! :D**


	59. Common Sense

**The movie in this chapter is the recently made Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. Enjoy!**

Carly POV 3:00PM Day 14

"Here, Freddie." I offer the Pear pamphlet Mya had given me out, smiling the tiniest bit at how much Freddie seemed to be absorbed in afterglow. Well, Freddie_ and_ Sam. They were both the tiniest bit preocuppied as they looked over the distractions I had been required to give them, still smiling uncontrollably and glancing at the other when they were sure the other wasn't looking. I'd only witnessed two of these moments before, but there was no telling how many of these they had privately, although I sensed they were exceedingly rare.

I guide Sam to the couch, sitting her on the end closest to the kitchen so she could get up for more food after she finished the ginormous bowl of popcorn. Freddie sat down in the middle of the couch, still absorbed in the Pear insider brochure Mya had given me. Trying to be calm, I carefully place the movie into the DVD player with shaking hands. It was a nearly impossible task to make it back to the couch and sit silently while my friends focused on their distractions. They both still have those brilliant, goofy grins on their faces and it made me feel warm inside just to feel the happiness radiating off of them.

Then the movie starts.

"Two households, both alike in dignity-." The shot continues to zoom in on a newswoman and I feel the sudden tension in the air as my friends freeze. "-in fair Verona, where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean." Sam and Freddie both turn to look at me in unison and I continue to pray that my life be spared. The opening monologue continues, a buzz in the background, and I stare at the screen with fake interest.

"What is _this_?" Sam asks in disgust, a mixture of confusion and anger. I continue to stare at the TV, not really seeing anything, when I answer.

"It's Romeo and Juliet." I answer, cringing when Sam slams her popcorn on the coffee table.

"You know what Sam meant." Freddie says, his voice filled with venom. I reluctantly tear my eyes away from the movie, flinching at the fury directed at me.

"It has Leonardo…you know…DiCaprio?" I laugh nervously before plowing on clumsily. "I heard it's really good and I thought that it might be worth watching." Then, I say the words that save my life. "Why, does it bother you?" Sam stiffens, leaning out of her inclined position, and Freddie's anger dissipates.

"Of course not. Why would it bother me?" They lie at the exact same time, trading annoyed looks before turning back to me.

"Good, then let's watch." Despite the fact that I had just walked the very narrow line between life and death and lived to tell the tale, the movie sucks me in within seconds. It isn't long at all before it begins.

"Why do they have credits before the movie?" Freddie mutters to Sam, putting his Pear paper on the coffee table next to her popcorn.

"They're probably afraid people won't be able sit through the stupid thing." Sam answers, digging a huge handful of popcorn out of the bowl. I can only see them out of the corner of my eye, but I swear I see Freddie nudge Sam's shoulder gently, almost like he was congratulating her. Barely a minute later, Sam comments again.

"Oh, chiz. Here comes Tybalt, all ready to kick the Montague boy's asses." Sam laughs, watching as the man playing Tybalt declared his hatred of the very notion of peace.

"I think Benvolio can handle him." Freddie answers evenly, his eyes flickering to Sam before returning to the TV.

"Is that a bet?" Sam asks, shifting closer to Freddie. He looks back at her again, blinking at her proximity before answering.

"A Montague could take a Capulet anyday." It's a challenge, for sure, but Freddie's voice is tinged with amusement and Sam responds in kind.

"You wish." She whispers, turning her attention back to the TV just as the fight began. I watch in awe, entranced by the fight, until it ends. "WOO! Mama wins!" Sam hoots, punching Freddie in the shoulder. She must not have punched him too hard because he doesn't even flinch, only grunting in reluctant assent that the Capulets had dominated the battle. I do my best to ignore their running commentary, and it was a relief when they began to watch the movie in silence. The onscreen violence continues for a minute, drawing your attention as the chief of police (Escalus) demanded the fighting to stop; but the Capulets and Montagues had hated each other for as long as anyone could remember and, even on pain of death, they treated this final warning as a mere reprimand. The scene fades, showing Romeo as he wandered the beach, speaking to himself with poetic grace. I glance over at Sam and Freddie; surprised at how attentive they are. Freddie's insider Pear report sits on the table, abandoned, and Sam's buttery popcorn held only the slightest fraction of her attention as she ate a kernel at a time. Both are tense, hunched forward and watching the screen with rapt attention. It isn't until Romeo makes his appearance at the Capulet ball that Sam rolls her eyes and leans back slightly.

"Are you kidding me? A knight in shining armor? Hardly." Sam says, snorting in disgust. Freddie blinks, his tense position relaxing as he looks over at Sam.

"Well it's not like Juliet's an angel either." Freddie responds, gesturing at the dark-haired girl onscreen. The Capulet ball, at least in this adaptation, was a costume ball, and even I had to admit that the costumes were a little clichéd. Moments later, the trance resumes; just as Romeo begins his speech on Juliet's beauty. Freddie and Sam remain silent, eyes fixed on the scene until Romeo leans in for the kiss. In unison, they shift backwards and make determined attempts to stare at anything but the television. After a few seconds, Sam began to complain.

"Jeez, how long is this going to last!" She demands, hiding what I could only guess was embarrassment. Freddie shrugs, carefully keeping his eyes off of the screen and Sam. The onscreen Romeo and Juliet break apart before hurrying into an elevator. The _ding_ of the doors shutting forces Sam and Freddie to look back at the movie, both groaning as Romeo and Juliet continue making out. If I hadn't turned to shush them, I might have missed it.

They both reach for Sam's popcorn at the same time, their hands brushing for the tiniest fraction of a second before they both jerk away. They trade some look I have no hope of decoding, the moment stretching until Sam looks away, reaching for the popcorn once more. She doesn't eat it, raising an eyebrow at Freddie as he copies her. With perfect timing and accuracy, they both throw popcorn at my television, just as Romeo and Juliet lean in for another kiss.

"Hey! What was that for?" I demand, pointing at the popcorn gathered at the floor of my TV. Freddie and Sam trade another look before Freddie shrugs, answering with nonchalance.

"They've know each other for less than a minute and they're already making out." I struggle for words, astonished at their logic.

"So? That's how Shakespeare wrote it and that's exactly how it's meant to be performed." I point an accusing finger, still upset over the popcorn I would surely have to clean up. "Hypocrites much?" Sam and Freddie don't seem to have an answer and return to their trance-like watching positions. Not five minutes later, the antics continue. Juliet had just walked out, beginning her opening of the balcony scene, as Romeo hid on a trellis right behind her. At every break in Juliet's speech, Romeo whispers his responses and such a way that it should be _impossible_ for Juliet not to hear him; but Juliet still has no idea he was present. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Freddie lean forward, cupping his fingers around Sam's ear.

"Can you hear me now?" He half-yells, just at the point where it wouldn't hurt Sam's ears. Sam laughs, gracing him with a smile for launching a kernel of popcorn at his face. By the time I turn my attention back to the movie, Juliet had somehow grabbed Romeo's shirt and pulled him into the pool with her on accident.

"Is Juliet trying to drown Romeo?" Sam asks, smirking at Freddie.

"No, she's trying to stop the security guards from seeing him. If they seem him, he dies. You see, it's this revolutionary thing where you actually take care of the person you're in love with." Freddie shoots back, scowling at Sam and flicking the kernel back at her.

"If they're in love that fast, then Spencer's the next top model." Sam mutters under her breath, rolling her eyes when Freddie looks at her in confusion.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Freddie asks, turning his entire torso in her direction. Sam shifts, uncomfortable, but she hides it well.

"I don't need to ask if _you_ believe in love at first sight, Fredwad." Sam's eyes flicker to me for a second, the slightest hint of almost unrecognizable sorrow darkening the tint of her normally bright blue eyes. Freddie doesn't miss this, possibly seeing even more than I did, and he thinks for a moment before proceeding with slow, measured words.

"I don't believe in it, at least not anymore." Sam rolls her eyes at his claim, scoffing in disbelief. Freddie continues on, ignoring Sam's interruption. "I had a huge _crush_ on Carly but now-." Sam slugs Freddie's arm, interrupting what I was hoping would be a confession of who his true crush was, and Freddie grunts in pain.

"Shut up, I want to hear the movie!" Sam fixes her attention on the movie with sudden, intense attention. I heave a sigh of disappointment, immediately figuring out what Sam's problem was. After all the times Freddie had declared his 'love' for me, Sam must have been sure that 'I had a _crush_ on Carly' would be the intro into yet another 'and now I'm in love with Carly'. Freddie rubs his arm, watching the movie with sudden, focused interest that was very similar to Sam's. Why didn't Freddie just tell her that he liked her? What was he so afraid of? He glances at Sam, a quick peek, as if to remind himself of all the reasons that he believed Sam would never even consider him in a romantic light, before returning to the movie.

Not a minute later, the running commentary picks up. The second Sam and Freddie pick up their banter, all awkwardness that may have existed disappears as they squabble over the tiniest details of the movie. It had always driven me up the wall when they argued like this, and today was no different.

"Dude, no way he could hold his breath that long."

"She wasn't even holding him under the water that long! We've already been over this; or have you forgotten already?"

"I meant the kissing, nub! He's hardly letting her get a word in!"

They then proceeded to throw popcorn at my television while reciting the balcony scene lines in perfect unison with the characters, in mocking tones.

"Really?" I finally ask, annoyed that one of my favorite scenes in the entire play was being ruined. Sam and Freddie laugh at my exasperation, now adding goofy gestures as they recited the lines.

"Oh! Here comes the nurse! You can be the nurse, Carly!" Sam says, practically crawling over Freddie's lap to wedge herself between us. "Ready? I'll do it with you." Sam pauses, clearing her throat, as Freddie finishes mock-serenading the blond half-leaning against him. "HULIET!" Sam calls, high-fiving Freddie for her perfect imitation of the nurse's accent.

"Carls, you didn't do it!" Freddie says, struggling to see around Sam to pout at me. Sam goes into Juliet's fluffy romantic responses with sarcasm, somehow managing to shift around and face Freddie (she ends up digging her back into my shoulder in the process). Her movements are exaggerated, ending with her face a few inches from Freddie; close enough that I suddenly became completely disinterested with what was happening on screen. Freddie starts off strong, mocking all of Romeo's poetic phrases and laughing along with Sam. That special kind of happiness engulfed them once more and I would probably put the odds of that happening _twice _in one day (which it had today) at somewhere around…_never_. The Juliet onscreen continues to ignore her nurse's calls and leans in for one more kiss before bidding Romeo goodbye. I can't see Sam's face, but I can see Freddie's hesitation, a conscious decision to lean forward and kiss Sam's cheek that had nothing to do with what was happening on screen. Sam doesn't recoil, doesn't stiffen, and Freddie pulls back after a long enough time that the kiss on her cheek hadn't been a quick peck; but a lingering kiss.

I was on the verge of breaking out into a fit of squeals when I am brought back to the rude, sudden conclusion that made all Sam and Freddie interaction such a mystery to me: They were Sam and Freddie.

_Smack!_

Freddie reaches up to touch his cheek, wincing slightly at the redness before glowering at Sam. Sam is on the floor at this point, laughing hysterically at Freddie's dumbstruck expression before he began to glare at her. Then she laughed harder.

It made no sense, absolutely no sense, but neither did Sam and Freddie. They had always been chaotic, argumentative, and putting them together was like putting together two volatile solutions: there was guaranteed to be an explosion at some point. They didn't follow any of the rules of best friends, crushes, frenemies, enemies, or any category really. They lived in this little grey area that, no matter how long they had known each other, would never be defined.

_Smack!_

I do a double-take, my mouth gaping open in shock when I saw that Sam had delivered another slap to Freddie's already red cheek. Freddie's glare dissipates, reading something in Sam's eyes that I had no hope of understanding, and his shoulders start to quake as he struggles not to join in on Sam's laughing seizure. He finally gives in, soon joining Sam on the floor, clutching his stomach to try and calm himself. I give up after a minute, turning up the volume of the movie and trying to ignore them.

Out of the corner of my eye, I notice Freddie pointing to his red cheek, silently raising an eyebrow at Sam. Sam sighs, leaning forward like she's going to give him a peck on the cheek to make it all better.

She doesn't.

_Smack!_

"Ow! That one hurt, Sam."

"Payback for all the times you've made me look at that face of yours."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

I roll my eyes, tuning them out and deciding to give up on trying to understand them. They were Sam and Freddie, and that was all you could really define them by.

**So...what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How am I supposed to know if you don't review?**

**HUGE thanks to the amazing reviewers: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, AnimeRose93, AussieHill, xXx :), The Donut Eater, Virgoleo23, PerenelleBoomslang09, Hannah Cha, Geekquality, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, coketree20, popcorn1001, BeccaJamieThomas93, tranquilll, twilightcrazed999, rachim4, leodoglover, Himura2323, Castle-of-Bones, AkinaMarie06, mekaylawrotethis, PurpleMousefurGomez, SeddieShortBus, LaUr3n=ShAuNy, mirage888, HugsandBugsSmileyface, BuZzandJessIe, Mari13ssa, singstar29, Susan Vulturis Black, ****theofficialseddiefan, alwayssmiling11, Mystapleza, wakawakababe, amiinii, InsanelyDramatic, Fabina 4 Evahz, Angelbear, Kpfan72491, swimgirl17143, iMaximumSeddie, Anonymous 1, Anonymous 2, Bookie 123 and sincerely broken! You guys (and girls) are awesome!**

**TO xXx :): I guess you could say I just have a very active imagination. xD I listen to a lot of music to give me inspiration and, when I'm writing, I try to picture the scene that I'm writing. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Thanks! Hope this chapter lived up to expectations! :D**

**TO ANGELBEAR: Sam believes she is responsible for her father's death, making her a murderer. Is she responsible? Is she really a murderer? Keep reading.**

**TO SWIMGIRL17143: Glad you liked it so much! All I can tell you about the hints is to look carefully while you're reading or wait until a new chapter is posted and more is revealed. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS 1: Romeo and Juliet is the movie.**

**TO ANONYMOUS 2: I updated, what did you think.**

**TO BOOKIE123: Glad you liked it so much! Hope this chapter was worth the wait! :D**

**TO HANNAH CHA: Yeah, Sam needs to be VERY careful with her emotions now because Melanie can feel her. **

**TO BUZZANDJESSIE: Glad you liked Freddie comparing the kisses! I always imagined him figuring out Melanie was real by comparing kisses. BTW, I love Buzz and Jessie! :D**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for all of your support and please remember to review! :D**


	60. A Chemical Imbalance

**New chapter! Enjoy...**

Wendy POV 11:00PM Day 14

I knock on the door, shivering in the chilly Seattle air, and silently pray that Paige would open her door quickly. Freezing cold and exhaustion didn't go well together. The door opens, bathing me in warmth, and I step inside, slamming the door behind me.

"Ahh." I exhale in relief, closing my eyes to absorb the warmth.

"Long trip?" Paige asks, starting to move towards the den we always hung out in. Pushing off of the door, I try to find a way to impress how amazing of an experience it was to fly in a too-small seat between my mother ('nuff said) and a fifty-year old man who insisted on getting up every five minutes to use the bathroom, pushing past me without apology. Not to mention the screaming infants (did you catch the plural?) in the next aisle over. I decide that the explanation, even for the purpose of gaining attention and sympathy (which I deserved) would be too lengthy and settle on something that works just as well.

"I truly believe that hell now exists on earth, in that plane." I answer dryly, opening my eyes and pulling my coat closer. Paige _awws_ in symphony and steps forward to hug me tightly. "Thanks." I smile, pulling away after a moment. "Are the other girls here yet?" Paige nods, continuing on her way to the den. Sure enough, I can hear all of the girls giggling from down the hallway.

Various cries of "Wendy!" or "Oh, I'm glad you're back!" echo around the room as soon as I step over the threshold. The smile that grows at the sight of my best friends is completely genuine, even though I could have faked a reaction just as genuine if I so chose.

"Nice to see you all." I reply, my warm smile giving way to business. "I'm exhausted, so let's make this quick. Candice." I point at the brunette in the furthest corner of the room before moving forward to collapse into an armchair. Candice shifts to face me, stroking the carpet absentmindedly.

"Pete's good to go, but I held off this weekend because there was already so much going on. I told him to talk to Sam tomorrow." She answers, not able to completely keep the distaste out of her voice. I had anticipated this problem. Candice wasn't the jealous type but, like just about every other girl, the idea of her boyfriend seducing another girl was unsettling.

"And you're okay with that?" It was a loaded question; all of us knew that it bothered her. Pete had made it clear that the only girl he was interested in was Candice, and it had taken her persuasion to get him to agree to help us in the first place. Candice swallows, blinking rapidly.

"Of course." Lie.

"Fantastic." My tone is warm, both a reminder of her obligation as a gossip girl and an appreciation of her sacrifice. I turn my attention to the girl sitting next to Candice. "Tasha."

"Oh, that's me!" Tasha starts, raising her hand slightly. I barely hold back a laugh, reminding myself that we all had our slightly ditzy moments. Tasha just seems to have more of them than anyone else I know. "Gibby and I went out for smoothies earlier tonight and ran into Sam, Freddie, and Carly." All of the girls perk up at this new news, leaning forward and focusing on Tasha. "It was a lot of fun! Sam and Freddie were teasing each other the whole time but it seemed more like flirting then fighting." Tasha pauses, smirking, as we all _ohhh_ in unison.

"Very nice, Tasha." I compliment, all of the other girls murmuring in assent. "Mya." Mya pulls out her laptop, sitting in the middle of the floor so everyone could flock around her.

"Okay, so I've sent you all a copy of the complete Wake Up Spencer." She turns around, looking over everyone. "You all got it? Good." Her gaze turns to me, silently handing it off as her laptop started up.

"I studied it, gathered all I could from just their voices." I sigh before continuing. "It would have been so much easier if they had showed themselves. The first thing I noticed was that Freddie thought up that Shakespeare idea _really_ fast. In fact, I think that Romeo and Juliet must have been on his mind before they even started the segment." I raise a single eyebrow suggestively, allowing my gossip girls to fill in the blanks. Realization dawns and Emily is the first one to speak.

"Are you suggesting that the cerebellum and limbic system may have coincided, necessitating his reference to the language of the Shakespearean period?" She asks, her tone that of an overexcited teenage girl and her word choice emphasizing the impossibly large IQ gap between her and everyone else in the room. Emily rears up, her eyes still light with excitement, her fists swaying as she struggled to restrain herself. The dumbfounded expressions all around finally catch her attention, and it takes her less than half a second to realize that she had lost us. Emily rolls her eyes, trying not to show just how much it pained her to translate. "Did Freddie think of Shakespeare because he associates Romeo and Juliet with positive emotions and memories?" We all _ohh_, nodding our heads in understanding and chuckling at the way Emily could unintentionally make us feel stupid.

"I think so. The most interesting thing is that, like you all saw, the Wake Up Spencer posted on the iCarly site was an edited version. Mya was able to obtain the original and we got to see what exactly they cut out." Everyone nods at Mya, murmuring approval and giving a few high-fives. "The fact that they felt the need to cut out the piece of footage says enough, but I find it particularly interesting that Spencer's subconscious seems to believe that Sam and Freddie are in love." A few squeals of excitement, more high-fiving. "Which leads me to the question: are Sam and Freddie in love?" I ask in a matter-of-fact manner, like we were discussing what the weather would be like tomorrow. A hush falls over the girls as they all consider this question, taken back. Our entire push to get Sam and Freddie together was based on the conclusion that they were seriously crushing on each other and would be happier together then apart (the entire challenge of the task may have influenced me into accepting it). We had seen all sorts of puppy love, lust, and crushes in our experience as the gossip girls of Ridgeway; but never once was I naive enough to imagine that we had encountered the type of love that lasted a lifetime.

"Impossible." Emily responds automatically, always the skeptic. Like many intellectuals, she didn't believe in love. Science had taught her that love was nothing but a chemical imbalance, a threat to mental stability and physical well-being that lead to catastrophic disaster. Her parent's divorce had taught her love didn't last.

"Emily, we have to at least consider-." I begin, cut off before I can even finish.

"I don't believe it. I'm sure all of you think it's possible to find that _one person_ and _fall in love_, but in high school?" Emily places sarcastic emphasis on the words she scorned the most, scoffing at our failure to bow to what she had already accepted. Most of the girls look down, trying to ignore how confident Emily was, and attempted to preserve their beliefs in love. Mya and I lock eyes, nodding to each other silently. We would drop it, for now.

"Okay, then. Mya." I point to Mya, trying to save face. Mya shuts her laptop, clearing her throat before speaking.

"Well, I…visited…Carly and got the Wake Up Spencer footage; but I also set up the cameras so Paige could watch the reaction to the movie. I put up two thumbtack-sized cameras; one in the living room and the other in the iCarly loft. Now, they don't turn on until the DVD player in that room is turned on, so don't worry about unnecessary violation of privacy. They've been permanently disabled now. What did you see Paige?" She asks, turning to the brunette directly behind her. Paige shifts, rocking back on her hands and crossing her PJ-clad legs.

"It was…odd." She finally decides, handing a flash drive to Mya. "I put the most important moments on that." Mya picks up her laptop and replaces it to her lap, settling on the couch directly next to my arm chair. The other girls scramble to a spot where they can see, eager to see what was so _odd_ about it.

The selected series of clips opens with Sam and Freddie reciting the lines from the balcony scene in patronizing tones, an annoyed Carly watching them in disbelief. At least they took it well. Too much paperwork if Carly had ended up in the hospital. It was entertaining, and the fact that they were so comfortable in the lines whether they are in character are not is fascinating, but I keep feeling like something else is going to happen. About a minute into the clip, Sam shifts, crawling across Freddie's lap with ease. I can't help but notice that her cheeks flush and Freddie's mocking falters for the few seconds before Sam completes the journey and wedges herself between Carly and Freddie, eagerly trying to convince Carly to join in on their fun. Carly is staring at Sam like she's from another planet, clearly put off by the little 'Sam and Freddie show' that was ruining the entire movie for her. Sam quickly gives up on Carly, turning her back to her so she could face Freddie. Caught up in the fun of mocking the play they both knew so well, they continue to say the lines until they become just as caught up in each as they were in the lines. Freddie hesitates, the indecision clear on his face before resolve takes over and he leans forward, brushing his lips against Sam's cheek. He pulls away a few seconds later, the consequences of his actions hanging in the fate of the blond in front of him. Sam didn't take any time to overanalyze Freddie's move, the possibility that it could have been a hint of romantic attraction never occurring to her. No; Sam was sure it was a challenge, a test.

_Smack!_

Half of the girls gasp in shock, the other half (me included) realize what had really taken place and groan. Would Sam ever believe Freddie had a crush on her? That there was a chance he was in love with her? At least Freddie had made the tiniest of steps forward before falling back on the Sam/Freddie dynamic of constant banter.

_Smack!_

After Sam and Freddie manage to stop laughing (it takes awhile), the clip picks up on their banter.

_Smack!_

"Ow! That one hurt, Sam."

"Payback for all the times you've made me look at that face of yours."

"That doesn't even make sense!"

Paige clears her throat, just as the clips skips forward. "They kept that up until the very last scenes. I have to admit, Sam is very quick with the insults but Freddie can hold his own…sometimes." She comments, shaking her head for emphasis. The clip picks up towards the very end of the movie, the banter coming to an end.

"Like _you_ have the right to say he's an idiot!"

"He murdered his new wife's cousin just after he left the wedding. Please enlighten me of what _your_ definition of an idiot is, Sam."

"_My _definition of an idiot might be the spineless nub that stands by and lets his best friend's murderer get away."

"Tybalt shouldn't have killed Mercutio, but that doesn't give Romeo the right to kill Tybalt."

They seem to reach a stalemate, glowering at each other, completely oblivious to the movie. Carly is completely absorbed in whatever scene it was, ignoring her best friends completely. A single line, spoken in a whisper, shatters their stalemate.

"_Here will I set up my everlasting rest_." Faster than I would have thought possible, Sam and Freddie whip around to face the TV.

Paige quietly interjects: "Romeo is getting ready to drink the poison."

"_And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars, from this world-wearied flesh. Eyes, look your last. Arms, take you last embrace! And lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss." _Mya pulls up a double screen, half of it the real-time movie footage and half of it the clip Paige had selected. In the clip, Sam is beside herself.

"LOOK DOWN! What a nub! He's going to kill himself because he won't LOOK DOWN! Juliet's fingers just twitched…look, her eyes are opening! LOOK DOWN!" Sam yells, surprising Freddie and Carly with her intensity. The Juliet in the movie is blinking, her fingers are twitching as the poison wears off, but Romeo was oblivious.

"_Dateless bargain with engrossing death."_ Romeo drinks the poison, just as Juliet's fingers trail across his face. What follows is nothing short of tragic. There isn't a dry eye among the gossip girls and Carly was on her second tissue box in the clip. Sam and Freddie were watching with horror, and I imagine them seeing each other's lives flash before their eyes. Without thinking, they move closer together, arms touching, as if to reassure themselves that they weren't the ones dying. Romeo dies, a conscious Juliet unable to handle the idea of a word without him and reaches for his gun (this was the more modern version, remember?). I'm careful to keep my eyes on the clip, watching as Sam and Freddie both jump when the gunshot echoes. For a minute, Sam rests her head against Freddie's shoulder, eyes closed, and Freddie stares straight ahead, his expression blank. When they part, their eyes meet. Most of the raw emotion had been pushed away at this point, but enough remains for their concern for the other to be seen. The clip cuts off after they both look away, Sam reaching over to comfort Carly and Freddie flicking the DVD player off.

"Wow." I finally say, breaking the silence. The other girls murmur agreement, all wiping away tears before slowly returning to their original positions. "Let's….um…let's move on now. Heather followed a lead Mya investigated and was able to give us the clip of Sam and Freddie on a fire escape, having their first kiss. You've all seen it by now, and I'm sure you all realized its significance. We'll keep that filed to the side to remind ourselves that we're helping Sam and Freddie finish what they started that night. Emily, let's hear the dating probabilities." Emily shakes her head, straightening her sleep shirt before continuing.

"You don't want to hear them. Sam and Freddie are trending a fifty-six percent, up eight points from last week." Emily says delicately, hating to be the one to break the bad news. How could so many people at Ridgeway see what Sam and Freddie had, think of them as one of the most popular couples on campus, and Sam and Freddie not see it? I take a deep breath, struggling for calm.

"We're going to have to lie again." I say reluctantly. Our entire purpose was to keep the school informed with truthful, reliable information but lying was necessary if we wanted to keep Sam and Freddie from ripping each other's heads off.

Censorship was nothing to mess around with; censorship was what got tyrants overthrown.

**This chapter was mainly to update you on what the gossip girls are up to and it lays the groundwork for me to pick up the plot. In three or four chapters, we'll be at the beach hotel scene! :)**

**Thanks so much for all of the support you all give me, it means more than you know: BeccaJamieThomas93, mekaylawrotethis, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Virgoleo23, Mystapleza, rachim4, Castle-of-Bones, Geekquality, Quinno96, BuZzandJessIe, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, SeddierealLuvJathan, Plant Love Grow Peace, leodoglover, xXx :), ober22, mirage888, Fabina 4 Evahz, The Donut Eater, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Himura2323, popcorn1001, bluemystique, ChaosKeks, iMaximumSeddie, coketree20, XcrozzybabezX, twilightcrazed999, Mari13ssa, Tvshowobsessed2, Hannah Cha, iPeppyCola, PrincessPurple24, SeddieShortBus, alwayssmiling11, theofficialseddiefan, Patrcia, HugsandBugsSmileyface, singstar29, jana, icecoffee18, Kpfan72491, and moonshinekiss!**

**TO BUZZANDJESSIE: Glad you liked the slap scene lol :)**

**TO xXx :) : Haha, exaggeration at its best. Thanks! :) **

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Did you get a chance to see the movie? It's actually pretty good.**

**TO HANNAH CHA: Again, what questions would you like answered? I've sent off your comments to the authors you requested.**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Don't worry about not reviewing earlier, I'm glad you got to do it now. :) Glad you liked last chapter.**

**TO PRINCESSPURPLE24: Happy to hear you enjoyed last chapter! The Seddie slap was one of my favorite scenes to write. :)**

**TO PATRCIA: Eu acho que este é o meu primeiro exame em Português, feliz por ter você lendo minha história! Haverá, provavelmente, cerca de 25 capítulos mais. Desculpe se este não é exatamente correto, eu usei o tradutor do Google. :)**

**TO JANA: I know it's a very long story and I appreciate you taking the time to read it. :)**

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: Glad to hear you liked it. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for all of your support and please remember to review! :D**


	61. Optimism

**Have you heard about iOMG yet? If not, be sure to check out the awesome promos soon! :)**

Alex Cooper POV 1:58AM Day 15

"Alex, the boss needs you." Charlie says, looking over my cubicle on the way to his desk.

"Any idea what for?" I call after him, getting to my feet hastily. I couldn't get fired, not today.

"No idea." Charlie responds, already at his cubicle. "Good luck." I nod once, hoping I won't need it. A moment later, I was outside of that horrible man's office and trying not to have a panic attack. I knew that my last story hadn't been the best, but I needed this job. I was going to be the journalist that everybody wished they could be…someday.

"Mr. Cooper!" Mr. Hall barks, as much as an invitation into his office that I'll get. I step inside, making a move towards one of the chairs facing his massive desk. "Stop! What, do you think you're special or something? This'll only take a minute." I really hated my boss, but I would never tell him that to his face.

"Of course, sir."

"Did I ask you for your opinion, Cooper?"

"No, sir."

He looks down at something I recognize as my latest article and a lump forms in my throat.

"Can you tell me what this is, Cooper?"

"My story about the skiing squirrel that's training for the next Winter Olympics."

"No, it's not." He slams his massive paw onto his desk. "It's a piece of crap that you're expecting me to run."

"Yes, sir."

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't fire your lazy ass, Cooper."

"Well, sir, I think that my content was severely limited when the squirrel refused to cooperate for the interview portion of my research."

"Don't blame others for your incompetence!" I grit my teeth, barely resisting the urge to tackle him. "Tell you what, Cooper. You have one more chance. ONE more. I'm going to give you your assignment nice and early so you won't screw it up, okay?" He hands me a paper, my new assignment, and is about to banish me from his office when I interrupt.

"But, sir, this is for a high school play! How am I supposed to give you an article that will interest the readers?"

"Not my problem, but it's an Evelina Esposito production, so you shouldn't have too much trouble making it interesting."

"But, sir-."

"Opening night is the Wednesday after next. Give me an article the day after, an article that will prove why you should have the privilege of working under me."

Freddie POV 7:18AM Day 15

"I'm just saying that, if a ninja squirrel was ever to meet any of the galaxy wars guys that you think are so great, he would beat them in a heartbeat." Sam insists, walking through the front doors of the school before me. Carly takes off as soon as she gets inside, already giving up on trying to make us get along.

"How can you say that? Darth Validor could totally take any ninja squirrel! It would be _laughable_; like when the Dorba army tried to take on Nug-Nug's forces at the Gorieschien Plains." I argue, settling against the wall next to Sam's locker. Sam rolls her eyes, grunting in dissent before digging in her locker.

"I can't even put into words how much your obsession with Galaxy Wars sickens me." She deadpans, focusing on switching her books. I didn't know why she bothered; it was the last few weeks of school where nobody does anything anyway, not that she would participate in the first place. She seems to sense my silent question, turning her eyes to me once more.

"If I get another detention for not having my book, I'm expelled." She explains, leaning in closer to whisper. I nod once, transfixed by the fractured hues of blue only inches from me. My heart speeds up, even though Sam was already backing away. I hated that she could do that to me.

"Hey, Freddie." Danielle, a girl from my AP Composition class, greets me; it was hard to miss the way her gaze raked over me. I wave back, trying to be polite, even though I had never talked to her in my life. The sound of a locker slamming snaps my attention back to Sam. She had an odd expression on her face, one I didn't recognize. I lean closer without even realizing it, watching as the lighter hues of fractured blue in her eyes turned a deep, dark royal blue; pretty, but as threatening as the ocean before a storm. A chill creeps up my spine, realizing (not for the first time) that the internal conflict that always raged in Sam to some extent, betrayed by her fractured eyes, had just transformed into a tempest. Before I can even ask, a hand claps me on the back, much harder than necessary.

"Freddie! Good to see you, man." Pete draws his hand off of my hunched back, stepping in front of me and blocking my view of Sam. "Even better to see you, Sam." I grit my teeth, squaring my shoulders and trying to ignore the obvious message: _back off, she's mine._

"Pete." Sam sounds surprised at Pete's sudden appearance, but not at all dazzled with his cheesy greeting. It would be best to walk away, before I have to listen to what will happen, but my feet are rooted to the floor.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to get a smoothie sometime this week." Sam opens her mouth, but Pete cuts her off. "I know you don't want to date until the play is over, so it would just be us hanging out." _Don't say yes, don't say yes._ Sam looks over Pete's shoulder, her eyes landing on me for some reason. At that moment, Danielle walks past once more giggling with her two friends and stealing glances at me. Sam's eyes harden and she turns her attention back to Pete, breaking out in a wide smile. I don't know what's going on, but something about Danielle bothers her. Probably the fact that Danielle was a notorious flirt and she had deemed me, a complete nub, worthy of her attention.

"I'd love that." Pete laughs nervously, as if there had been any doubt Sam would say no to the dumb charm he thought he had.

"Great. I'll call you later, then." I look away as Pete leans down to hug Sam, waving at Danielle absently. I guess she would be considered pretty; she had curly, dark hair and a good smile, but she wasn't even remotely appealing to me. Danielle winks back, finally moving away with her little cluster of friends. I turn back without thinking, scowling at the sight of Pete still hugging Sam. He pulls away a moment later, moving away without a second glance at me.

"Who was that chick?" Sam asks after a beat, raising an eyebrow. I shrug, pushing off of the wall.

"Danielle. She's in my AP Composition class." Sam nods, thoughtful for a moment before a smirk emerges. I watch her warily, unsure of what's to come.

"Poor girl. She thinks she's flirting with what she, for some reason, thinks-" Sam pauses, reaching out to put her arm on my shoulder. "-is eye candy; but she doesn't know what a geek you truly are." She tsks before continuing. "Deal breaker, for sure." I scoff, rolling my eyes.

"It's not a deal breaker for everyone, Puckett. Pete doesn't have a clue what he's giving himself into." I shoot back, meaning every word. Pete didn't understand anything about Sam and I hated the very _idea_ of them together. Sam shrugs, heading in the direction of her first period class.

"Maybe so, Benson, but nobody ever does, do they?" I couldn't tell whether she was talking about dating in general or dating her specifically, but my gut told me it was the latter. The impossible task of attempting to understand the motivations and desires of Sam Puckett's mind was, at least to me, comparable to trying to learn an entirely new language that had no rhyme or reason. Sam wasn't like other girls, wasn't like other people, and she seemed perfectly content to go through life without ever trusting a single person with everything. I don't think Carly had the privilege of knowing all of Sam's secrets, even if she was the only person that Sam trusted.

Dating Sam Puckett? Now _that_ would be a minefield of obstacles that only a lunatic would attempt if he understood the complexity of her defenses.

Ha. Would you like to call the asylum, or should I?

Sam POV 7:26AM Day 15

I had never thought of myself of the jealous type, especially if said boy was in love with my best friend and I had no chance with him. Danielle Cruz was what many called 'flirtatious', but I prefer to call her 'slut'. She had slept with half of the boys soccer team on a dare (man, was she upset when that got out) and usually had two or three 'boyfriends' at any one moment. I wasn't surprised that she had taken a liking to Freddie, especially after he had decided to showcase his six pack in the hallway last week, but I _was _surprised at how much it bothered me. Not in a jealous I'm-going-to-rip-her-face-off kind of way, but more of a wow-there's-something-else-that's-going-wrong kind of way. I doubted anything would happen between them, mostly because Freddie was still pining after Carly, as he had been for as long as I had known him. More than anything, it made me surer that karma's final punishment would be sooner rather than later and, in a way, that was relief. Better to have my life ruined sooner rather than later, when I had fallen for Freddie more than I already had; if that was possible. Just as the last bell rang, my phone vibrates. Careful to keep my phone out of Ms. Yang's line of view, I check the message.

_Stop, please stop. I can't focus, can't breathe; is this how you feel? We'll talk later. –Mel_

Wonderful. Just what I needed: a talk with Ms. Optimism when all I wanted to do was watch my life go to hell in peace.

**...I just noticed how many times I mentioned squirrels this chapter. xD Please remember to review and let me know your thoughts on this chapter or iOMG!**

**Special thanks to: mekaylawrotethis, twilightcrazed999, rachim4, Marria, XcrozzybabezX, mirage888, sincerely broken, coketree20, I'mMusicalMe, Mari13ssa, singstar29, GUIGUI, iPeppyCola, Geekquality, Quinno96, BeccaJamieThomas93, iMaximumSeddie, Castle-of-Bones, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, leodoglover, Hannah Cha, smileyface, Plant Love Grow Peace, ChaosKeks, Fabina 4 Evahz, Himura2323, AshesToAshes, Kpfan72491, BuZzandJessIe, theofficialseddiefan, Mystapleza, Patrcia, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, popcorn1001, and LaUr3n-ShAuNy!**

**TO MARIA: Sam is, at least in this story, utterly oblivious to any possibility of dating Freddie. In this chapter, Freddie at least talks about it. The gossip girls, as clever as they appear and as much I love writing for them, are still high school girls. With the exception of Emily, they are a breed of high school girls dedicated to setting up their classmates for love and they think the best way for Sam and Freddie to get together is jealousy. I love that you took the time to review and ask me questions. :)**

**TO GUIGUI: Wow, thanks so much! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: I know that I am privileged with some of the best writers and definitely the best readers on fanfiction. All of the reviews make my day. :)**

**TO HANNAH CHA: I'm perfectly willing to answer any questions you have, but I need you to number them and leave them in one review, please.**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Thanks! :)**

**TO BUZZANDJESSIE: Glad you liked it! :)**

**TO PATRCIA: Obrigado, eu agradeço! :)**

**TO SMILEYFACE: Your PM system wasn't letting me through, so here we are: Yep, the gossip girls are going to lie...again. **

**Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :)**


	62. A Downward Spiral

**New chapter! Enjoy...**

Freddie POV 2:30PM Day 15

After what feels like far longer then an hour had any right to be, the bell to get out of class finally rings and I jump to my feet, half-sprinting out the door. I had done it. I had managed not to punch Pete for the whole entire period, a feat that hadn't been easy; especially considering how he had asked Sam out only this morning. Without a real sense of how I'd gotten there, I end up outside Sam's classroom door, as had become tradition, and waited until she appeared to pull a fat cake out of my backpack. The only difference between today and all of the other days is Sam's utter lack of animation when she approaches me. Her expression is blank, her thoughts obviously far away, and her feet shuffle forward with only instinct and memory to guide them.

"Sam?" I ask, lowering the fat cake and watching her warily. Sam doesn't start, slowly coming out of her thoughts in her own time. She takes the fat cakes wordlessly, her eyes fixed on some point behind me, and continues down the hallway. I follow slowly, giving her some distance until I could figure out what was wrong. Just as we reach the entrance to the theater, I speed up and grab Sam's shoulder, gently halting her to a standstill. For the first time, I notice how pale she is; a stark contrast to her normally glowing skin. "Sam, are you sick?" I ask, stepping in front of her with more concern then I should be showing. Sam's eyes shift, meeting mine for the first time. It can't have lasted long, maybe seconds, but that was all it took for me to recoil. Sam's eyes were dark; the utter lack of lightness so complete that it was hard to tell whether they were fractured or not. She looks away, as if I was some mildly interesting picture that she had paused to view in seconds, and pushes past me with no other acknowledgement. Her shoulder brushes against my arm, the same jolt of awareness spreading infectiously before being overcome by my concern. By the time I turn around, Sam's already halfway down the stairs leading to the stage. I hurry forward, determined to figure out what was wrong, but Ms. Esposito beats me to Sam.

"Ahh! Juliet, why so pale?" She asks, tsking in disapproval. "We cannot have you sick! Are you sick?" Ms. Esposito ask, getting up on her tiptoes to feel Sam's forehead. "No fever."

"I'm fine." I reach Sam just as she says that obviously false statement, given away by her flat tone. Ms. Esposito shakes her head, stepping back to study Sam as I try to find something to do. I settle for carefully monitoring Sam's stability, not missing the effort Sam was putting into appearing normal.

"Juliet, you have all of your lines memorized, yes?" Ms. Esposito asks, waving away a drama girl that had come up to see what was wrong. Sam nods once, showing the first emotion I'd seen this afternoon in a scowl.

"Yes, but I'm fine. I can rehearse." Sam interjects, the faintest hint of annoyance managing to make it into her monotone. Her already pale face whitens another degree, a tremor running though her leg, and I reach out to steady her before catching myself. The drama girl taps Ms. Esposito's shoulder once more and quickly blurts out what she has to say before she can be stopped.

"I can play Juliet, if you need. I know all the lines." A hiss escapes Sam's teeth, what I figure to be an expression of pain, and I guide her to a nearby seat. Ms. Esposito waves the girl off again, focusing on Sam once more.

"Not now, my chicken." Sam didn't look good at all; paleness, dizziness, and nauseousness the obvious symptoms.

"But-." The drama girl starts again before being cut off.

"Not now, Ms. Sheridan!" The girl leaves in a huff and I'm relieved she's gone. Another Juliet? That would screw the entire play up. Ms. Esposito turns to Sam again, nudging me away so she could speak to her directly. "You are sick, my chicken. Not seriously, I think. It is merely a bout of food poisoning or something of the sort. Since you know your lines, I can afford to send you home for today and the next few days if you need them, yes?" Sam hesitates, nodding reluctantly as a green tinge becomes evident against the stark white of her pale features. "Romeo, I trust you know your lines as well?"

"Of course." I answer, my mind racing. What could have given Sam food poisoning? Well, with all the food she was capable of consuming, just about anything.

"Good, good, my chicken. I do not require you today either. Escort Juliet home and get her some medicine, perhaps? Anything to get her healthy for opening night in eight more days. Only eight! How time passes…" Ms. Esposito pats Sam on the shoulder once more and gives me one more stern look (_Get her healthy)_ before departing for the stage.

"Sam?" Carly calls, jumping off of the stage and trying (unsuccessfully) to hurry up the aisle in her huge dress that the costume designer seemed to have taken a particular pride in making completely unrealistic. "Are you okay?" She asks, taking a place beside me. Sam look up from her chair, her already thinning resolve crumpled.

"I'm sick." She admits, resting her head against the back of her chair. Carly seems to be silently agonizing over what to do next when I decide to cut in.

"Ms. Esposito excused me too. Go back to rehearsal, Carly. I'll call Spencer and see if he can pick us up." Mom was the last person I wanted to expose Sam to when she was already feeling sick.

"Is that okay Sam?" Carly asks, getting only a shrug in reply. "Okay, then, I'll be home right after rehearsal." She heads back to the stage, leaving me to call Spencer. He answers on the second ring, immediately agreeing to come pick us up.

"Spencer's going to meet us in the front." I tell Sam, expecting some kind of response. After a moment, I continue. "Do you need help getting up?" Sam seems to consider for a moment, closing her eyes and stifling a groan as her stomach lurched. She holds out her arms, wrapping one over my shoulders as I bent down. It was an easy matter to get Sam from her feet from there, but, with our height differences, it was something else entirely to walk forward. It hurt my back to walk half-bent over, supporting the majority of Sam's weight on just the arm she had draped over my shoulders. I hold my tongue until we make it out of the crowded theater and reach the deserted hallway outside. "Wouldn't it be so much easier if I carried you?" I suggest tentatively, already knowing the answer.

"Only if you want to die." Sam replies, not missing a beat. We struggle forward for a few more yards before Sam stops altogether. I look over, noticing for the first time what a sickly green shade she had turned. Sam shivers, breaking away quickly and staggering into the girl's bathroom. She returns a few minutes later, shaking and covered in sweat. Sam looks at me and I notice that most of the darkness had faded from her eyes, like it had nothing to do with her being sick. Strange…

Her silent message is clear: _Don't make me ask._ I resist the urge to grin, despite the circumstances and bend halfway. Picking up Sam abruptly was how I had done it every time, but I doubted that would be a good idea with her already sensitive stomach. My grin fades as I carefully lifted Sam into my arms once more; it shouldn't affect me like it did, it was dangerous what sway she held over me. Sam shifts, readjusting to a more comfortable position before looking me straight in the eye and protecting anything I could possibly perceive as weakness.

"Just because I don't have the energy to tease you doesn't mean I can't barf on you. Never speak of this. Ever." She says, emphasizing certain words. I can't help but feel the similarities between this situation and another, but I keep it to myself.

"Just to get it over with. I'd really rather not have to explain any barf stains to my mom."

Carly POV 4:30PM Day 15

"Hey, I'm home!" I call, walking into my apartment and looking around in confusion. Where were they? A scuffling from the direction of Spencer's room catches my attention and Freddie emerges, obviously on edge. His shoulders slump in disappointment when he sees me and he lets out an audible sigh.

"Glad to see you too." I say, feigning hurt. Freddie looks up, shaking his head.

"I was hoping you were Spencer. He left an hour ago to pick up some medicine for Sam and he hasn't come back." Freddie explains, already trying to edge back to where he had come from.

"Where is Sam?" Freddie opens his mouth to answer when a loud retching noise from the bathroom next to Spencer's room answers me. With a wince, Freddie hurries back towards the bathroom. I set my purse down before following, wary of what I would find. Sure enough, Sam appears half-passed out, her head resting against the toilet cover and her eyes drooping. Freddie replaces the cold rag he must have been applying before I got home to Sam's forehead, his concern mingling with brief moments of tenderness that were so far outside of the spectrum of friendship that I wondered at how Sam was missing this. "Hey." I whisper, nudging Sam's elbow gently until she opens her eyes. "On a scale of diet soda to Lindsey Lohan, how bad is it?"

"A Miley Cyrus, for sure." Sam groans, clutching at her stomach. I wince, inhaling sharply in sympathy.

"I'm home!" Spencer calls from the living room, slamming the door behind him. I'm about to shout back when Freddie covers my mouth, whispering that Sam had a headache. I nod once, leaving the bathroom to cajole Spencer for taking so long. Even if he did take a forever, it was a relief to find that he had bought the medicine Sam needed. I return to the bathroom with a fresh glass of water and a pill, helping Sam swallow it and silently praying that it wouldn't come back up again.

It was going to be a very long night.

**So...what did you think? Seddie or suckish? How will I know if you don't review? :(**

**Special Thanks to: Geekquality, sincerely broken, alwayssmiling11, iPeppyCola, BuZzandJessIe, Quinno96, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Fabina 4 Evahz, Virgoleo23, Mystapleza, BeccaJamieThomas93, Gabsikle, AshesToAshes, popcorn1001, Mari13ssa, theofficialseddiefan, Seddie fan D, Mardelzor, mirage888, HugsandBugsSmileyface, PartyPooper845, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, singstar29, bananaemotions76, Himura2323, iMaximumSeddie, cutie4lifeand4ever, justjb, kaelkitty, xoxoLissieM, Castle-of-Bones, Em, darkchet, XcrozzybabezX, Plant Love Grow Peace, e, Hannah Cha, AgoraXLocoXPhobic, Shojo-Chan and coketree20!  
**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: I haven't seen Best Player yet, but it's on my DVR. **

**TO BUZZANDJESSIE: The journalist is going to be much more important than you think. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Alex Cooper plays a huge part and changes the whole story. :)**

**TO ASHESTOASHES: Glad you enjoy the length of my story, I set out to write a long story and that's exactly what I'm doing. :)**

**TO SEDDIE FAN D : Wow, thanks! That means a lot. :D**

**TO EM: I update every Saturday, but there aren't exactly that many chapters left so I might do one week where I put out a chapter every day. I haven't decided yet. Writing is something that's always been a part of my life and I don't know if it comes naturally, but I enjoy it more than just about anything else. Please keep in mind that iShakespeare may be my only current fanfiction, but I write my own ideas as well. Thanks for your support! :)**

**TO E: That's a lot of goldfish to go through in two weeks! lol**

**TO HANNAH CHA: If you feel sorry for Sam now, just wait.**

**So...that's about it! Please remember to review and thanks for reading! :D**


	63. Let Her Go

***EDIT* My fanfiction account wouldn't let me upload the chapter yesterday or even log into my account, so here is the new chapter a day late.**

Sam POV 4:30PM Day 16

It never ceased to amaze me how crappy food poisoning was capable of making you feel. The last twenty-four hours had been a blur; Spencer had been tasked with taking care of me while Carly and Freddie went to school today. Spencer was decent at taking care of me, especially with constant texts from Carly and Freddie reminding him to give me medicine or whatever. By the time Carly and Freddie got home, I felt much better and was coming out of my little reverie. The first thing they asked was if I remembered what I had eaten to make me feel sick yesterday and, to be completely honest, I didn't have any idea.

Almost as soon as the sick blur faded, another set in. It didn't scare me to settle deep into the familiar folds of semi-awareness; in fact, it was as welcome as a soft, warm bed on a chilly morning and I melted deeper than I ever had before. Most people would assume I was just being distant or rude to them but I'd never really cared what they thought in the first place. Semi-awareness was the only way to function until after the anniversary of his death had passed.

I went to school (reluctantly) the next day and mechanically traded lines with the other characters, feeling the slightest twinge of relief when Ms. Esposito sent Freddie off to practice his swordfight with Tybalt.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday; semi-awareness made time pass ridiculously fast. Melanie knew I was ignoring her calls and texts, but she was helpless from the other side of the country and that was something to be thankful for.

It wasn't until I was halfway to the beach on Friday that the breakneck pace of semi-awareness slowed for a terrifying second. I was going back to the scene of the crime.

Freddie POV 6:00PM Day 19

"A tux?" I ask in disbelief, turning when the bathroom door swings open to reveal Ryan (Friar Lawrence).

"Yep, just making sure it fits. I'm telling you, the dance tonight is serious stuff." Ryan answers, pulling at the cuffs of his immaculately ironed tux.

"Do we really have to be in character?" I ask tentatively, pulling back a curtain to reveal our oceanfront view. When I say oceanfront, I mean WASHINGTON oceanfront where rocks and protrude over most of the coastline and the water never reached above forty degrees in the height of summer. At first glance, it was abrasive and unwelcoming; but, after some getting used to, it was one of my favorite places.

"The whole point of the dance is to practice being in-character." Ryan chuckles, continuing to adjust his tux in the mirror. "Be thankful you weren't there for last year's." I half-turn to him, raising an eyebrow. "We did a production of _Wicked_ last year." He explains, smiling as he remembered. "We had munchkins with squeaky voices running around everywhere during that play. Not to mention that the two main characters are mortal enemies at the beginning of the play and had to fight with each other the entire night." I allow a smile, painting the chaotic scene in my mind's eye.

"Does this mean you're going to be marrying everybody off tonight?" I joke, releasing some of my internal tension. Ryan laughs, shaking his head, and moves away to change back into his street clothes. The very idea of the dance tonight scared me. Sam hadn't been herself the last few days and, despite Carly's assurances that Sam just needed space, I dreaded every moment I had to spend with Sam's distance. It only reminded me of what I was missing.

Carly POV 7:00PM Day 19

"Sam, it's required. You can't just _skip_ the dance." I insist, fixing my makeup in the bathroom mirror. The in-character dance was due to start any minute and Sam was still refusing to get ready.

"Tell them I'm sick or something." She replies dully, staring out at the sunset against the ocean. The entire bus ride down here, Sam had refused to talk; instead staring out the window as aimlessly as she was now. I look away from the mirror, stepping out into the living area of our hotel room to study Sam once more. Should I force her to come? She was obviously a million miles away, numb to anything but what she associated with her father's death. What would Ms. Esposito say if we didn't show? That had been her one requirement for coming to the beach; not to mention Freddie and I had decided to use footage from the dance as tonight's iCarly. Sam was in no condition to co-host anything and I'd learned my lesson with Missy: nobody but Sam was allowed to co-host.

"Sam, please. You don't have to stay all night, just make an appearance." I plead quietly, coming up behind Sam's chair. Sam doesn't move, remaining silent for a few minutes before nodding slightly. I take this for assent and, since we were all supposed to be in costume, retrieve Sam's dress from the closet. Sam continues to stare out the window, only bringing herself to move when I mention that the dance would include dinner. She was still Sam, but a hollowed version of the original; a husk of what had been. I had never seen her in this bad of a condition before, but Melanie had already warned me that it would be worse this year. Sam would recover, that I was sure of. All it would take was time; the greatest ally and the most vicious enemy to those trying to heal.

"Let's go." Sam calls softly, pulling me out of my thoughts. I turn, nodding once before leading the way out the door.

She only had to make an appearance. What could go wrong?

Sam POV 7:30PM Day 19

For once, I wasn't hungry. It wasn't because I was 'in character' as Juliet and was pretending not to have a voracious appetite, it was because I was fading. Some part of me dimly recognized the figures around me and told me what to do or say through my blur. The blur was a welcome distraction, swallowing me completely enough to forget every trace of guilt that belonged to me.

"Juliet?" I recognize the voice, and some part of me responds to the name by automatically turning to face the speaker.

"Romeo." It sounds flat, even to me, and I watch Freddie's eyebrows furrow in concern. He doesn't say anything though, instead holding up his palm-sized camera.

"Say hi to our fans." He instructs, pressing the record button.

"Hey iCarly fans, Juliet here at Ms. Esposito's _Romeo and Juliet_ dance. Your options appear to be-." I seize Freddie's camera, turning it towards the couples revolving around the dance floor. "-waltzing-." I swing the camera back to the snack table. "-or eating this delicious food. Guess which one I picked."

"C'mon, give it back!" Freddie whines, reaching for his camera.

"In character!" Ms. Esposito orders, gliding past us without a backwards glance.

"Fair lady, restore my camera to me and I would be much obliged." Freddie finally says, carefully choosing his words.

"Never, dear sir, for Rosaline must surely be able to film more exciting things than a mere Montague." It was as close to mischievous as I had come in the last week and, even though it was at his expense, Freddie smiles. I look away, searching the chattering crowd for Carly. Maybe I could hand the camera off to her and be done for the night.

"Wait..no, um…halt! Halt!" Freddie calls, attempting to make his way after me. The crowd was a jumbled mess; full of stuttering Shakespeare as members of the drama production attempted to talk to one another. Waltz music could be heard above the chatter, guiding the revolving couples on the dance floor. I spot Carly almost immediately; she was surrounded by what looked to be the majority of the Capulet house.

"Rosaline, a gift for thou!" Murmurs broke out among those surrounding Carly, all parting to let me through. As soon as I reach her, I turn the camera on both of us. "Allow me to present my cousin, Rosaline."

"Ah, I was certain that we would meet soon!" Carly says, struggling to figure out how exactly to speak Shakespeare. I shrug when she looks at me for guidance, giving her the camera instead.

"I'm leaving now." I whisper, leaning in so nobody else could hear me. All traces of emotion had drained from me and the soothing calm of numbness begins to settle in once more.

"Wait, Sam." Carly whispers, pulling me back. She catches my eye and I stare back, aware of her sudden recoil. Few would be able to miss my utter lack of animation, but few would be able to recognize just what it meant. "Go."

As soon as Carly released my arm, someone else caught my wrist. I didn't have to look to see who it was. Although I was sinking deeper and deeper, I could still feel _that._

"Let her go." Carly says, reaching up to touch Freddie's arm. He still holds on, studying me for a moment before flinching back. I must appear worse than even I'd thought, but I couldn't muster the strength to care. Freddie finally allows my wrist to fall, taking a step after me before Carly touches his arm again. "Let her go."

I left the spectacularly decorated ballroom, the smallest hint of gratitude sparking at the utter lack of attention I was attracting, and walked.

I remember making my way to the hotel room.

I remember changing into a pair of sweats that were far too big. They had been my Dad's after all.

I remember cursing the past tense and all it stood for.

I remember the clock striking as I left the hotel.

I remember counting the chimes as I began to run along the beach.

I remember reaching the twelfth chime and then, like clockwork, I remember nothing.

Freddie POV 11:00AM Day 20

I look out the window, trying to decide if I could completely avoid the day's activities. Ms. Esposito had provided a camp full of drama activities and games, right outside the hotel, but I didn't feel the motivation to even try them out. Not while Sam was still gone. Returning to my work, I press the final key and upload the last of the videos we had recorded last night. I hesitantly reach for my phone, finally deciding that it's safe to call Carly so late in the morning.

"Hey. I just finished uploading the footage from last night."

"That's great, thanks for taking care of that."

"You sound distracted."

"No! Maybe…a little."

"Sam isn't picking up her phone."

"That's because she left it here."

"Well, that's just great. Do we have any idea where she is?"

"Nope."

"Why did you let her go?"

"Did I have a choice? She would have gone either way."

"Why did she need to go?"

"Sam is very good at hiding things."

"That's not an answer."

"My point is that you never would have noticed anything was wrong, but it's….it's worse this year."

"This has happened before? Where Sam turns into a zombie and disappears for extended periods of time?"

"Freddie, she's only been gone since last night. I said it was worse this year, but yes, to some degree that happens every year."

"That can't be true! I would have noticed!"

"Sam is very good at hiding things."

"Is that all you can say? Our best friend is missing and all you can say is 'Oh, don't worry. By the way, this happens every year when you aren't paying attention!' Why does she even do this?"

"Sam needs to tell you herself. All I can tell you is not to go looking for her. She can take care of herself and she'll be back when she's ready."

"But-."

"Don't go looking for her, Freddie. She'll come back. I promise."

**So...what did you think? Seddie or suckish? Leave me a review with any questions you have. :)**

**Special thanks to the amazing reviewers: xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Virgoleo23, Seddielovergrl, can'tgetenoughmusic99, Mari13ssa, veeheart914, coketree20, Shojo-Chan, Mystapleza, PurpleMousefurGomez, Plant Love Grow Peace, mirage888, Mardelzor, digitalchild99, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, amiinii, Em, Quinno96, Geekquality, Himura2323, Romance and Musicals, SeddieTaang, BeccaJamieThomas93, Wisdom's Shadow, Miaares, cutie4lifeand4ever, Stars Of Silver Ghosts, iMaximumSeddie, marylin open89, icecoffee18, xoxoLissieM, Mike2101, ann2711, singstar29, XcrozzybabezX, Kpfan72491, popcorn1001, Kenzstuff17 Aaml Jott Channy, ME AGAIN, kaelkitty, Hannahmarie123, theofficialseddiefan, Alice Rose Winter, Fabina 4 Evahz, LoveHateSucker, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, and Shabyville!**

**TO EM: Thanks! I didn't get around to writing that much because things have been pretty insane for a while. New chapter today though! :)**

**TO SEDDIETAANG: Glad you liked it! :)**

**TO WISDOM'S SHADOW: In about five chapters (it's a guess), the story of Freddie's dad will come to light. I'm sorry to hear about your loss, but the connection it gives you to my story is really incredible. Thank you for your review. :)**

**TO MIKE2101: Wendy is, in a sense, who I've needed her to be. You're right about that. I've taken the little the show tells us and exaggerated it to proportions that (hopefully) keep an edge of reality as well. She does have a consistency in the sense that she feels some odd attraction to challenging herself against the wits and abilities of others. Wendy's uncle is, as you said, a flaw in the story and one that has bothered me to no end. Yet it was necessary. I wasn't resourceful enough to think of another way that the gossip girls could get what they needed to drive the plot forward but, in the grand scope of things, I take it as something to improve on in my future writing.**

**It means a lot that you not only took the time to read my story, but also to make useful criticism and suggestions for me to improve in the future. Thank you. :)**

**TO ANN2711: Thanks! I don't know how far you've made it, but I hope you get to read this soon! :)**

**TO ME AGAIN:...keep reading. :)**

**TO HANNAHMARIE123: Thanks! New chapter right here! :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: I came up with that scale out of...I really don't know what. xD I remember Sam dislikes diet soda and I tried to think of someone or something I dislike. Lohan and Cyrus were what came to mind and that's about it.**

**About iOMG...all I can say is ROCK ON MIGHTY SEDDIE WARRIORS!**

**So...that's about it! I hope you enjoyed this chapter enough to leave me a review...we're almost to 2,000! A little over a hundred more reviews to go, so it may take a little while. Thanks! :D**


	64. Lost

**New chapter! Read on:**

Wendy POV 12:00PM Day 20

"I've given you plenty of time. The play opens on Wednesday, three days from now, and Sam isn't with Freddie yet." Pete was angry, rightfully so, but was managing to control himself.

"A little more time, that's all we need." I promise, avoiding all of the body language that would indicate my doubt. I had been so confident when we'd first began, but now I was less than optimistic about our chances to get Sam and Freddie together before the play.

"That's all you get. I care about Candice, but I can't do this forever. Especially not to good people." With that, Pete left the room. Yet the question lingered: What was I going to do now? Accept that jealousy had failed when I was so sure it would succeed? If I did, what could we do then?

No, jealousy was the only way to go.

"What do you want to do next, Wendy?" Mya asks, setting a bottle of water in front of me before returning to her chair.

"Leave them alone, for now. We'll wait until they come back from the beach and take it from there." I say, taking a sip and swirling around the remaining water.

"And if that doesn't work?" Lacy asks, straight to the point as usual.

"Then we will be forced to extraordinary measures, and that's something that no one wants."

Freddie POV 7:00PM Day 20

Even though Carly had told me not to go looking for Sam, I found myself sneaking out of my drama activities for the afternoon and skipping dinner to do just that. The sun had gone down a half hour ago, and I felt like I had been walking the beach for hours. If I was being completely honest, I had given up hope of finding Sam long ago. I wasn't even sure if I was going in the right direction.

What a depressing thought.

That's why it's a complete surprise when I notice a figure up ahead, sitting far away from the surf. I don't run, and wouldn't have run even if was able to summon the energy required to do so; if it was Sam, I didn't want to scare her off. As I move closer, I catch the unmistakable glint of blond hair in the moonlight and relief heats me from the inside out. Sam was safe. Careful not to make any noise, I sit a few yards up the beach from her, slightly to her right so I could see her face. Her eyes are glazed over, her arms hugging her knees to her chest, and I can tell that her mind is very, very far away.

"We were going to come here. To this beach." Sam says, her tone flat. I can't tell if she's talking to herself or to me, so I wait. Who was going to come with Sam to this beach? Finally, after a long silence, I slide a tiny bit closer to her and respond.

"Who?" I ask softly, aware that the Sam before me wasn't even remotely like herself. Sam stares out over the ocean, her eyes blank.

"I feel kinda bad when I wake up, always hitting people. I'm always sure they're holding me down…" Sam pauses, scaring me more and more by the minute. "He used to kiss my forehead, every morning." She's silent once more. Who was he? "I don't know if that would work anymore though." Sam draws her arms tighter around her legs, a feat I hadn't thought was possible. "Nobody would want to anyway." She says it so matter-of-fact that my stomach twists in knots and bile rises in my throat. Yet I didn't dare move forward or interrupt in any way. Sam wasn't herself and I instinctively knew that stirring her from this would hurt her more than anything else I could do. Maybe she just needed to let it all out.

"It was five years ago today he died." My brain can't seem to process this information for a minute; then the pieces fell into place. Sam must be talking about her dad. I had never met him, never talked to Sam about him. He must have been the one who kissed her forehead every morning. What had she said about going to the beach? "He always told us that he was saving up for one of those indestructible vans for when we started to drive. I wish we had had one of those vans. Maybe he wouldn't have died then." My heart stops as I make the final connection. Sam's dad had died in a car crash, five years ago to this very day, while heading to this very beach. I move forward, taking a spot right next to Sam. Even if breaking her out of her trance was dangerous, it couldn't be worse than allowing her to dwell on this. My arm brushes hers, but she doesn't react. I notice the goosebumps running along her skin for the first time and I remove my jacket, draping it over her shoulders. Sam says nothing, makes no move to greet me or even notice who I was. She settles for pulling my jacket closer, shivering, and shifting to rest against my shoulder. Hesitantly, some part of me hoping that it would bring the true Sam back out to whale on me, I move my arm to pull her closer. No dice. She just moves her head to my chest, staring out at the ocean for what feels like forever (it was probably an hour or two) before pulling away.

"Do you want to go back, Sam?" I ask softly, more afraid of her now than I had ever been. Sam doesn't answer me, getting to her feet and robotically beginning the long walk back to the hotel. It was a far longer walk than I remembered, and a much scarier one between the darkness and Sam's odd mood. She never does acknowledge me, but wears my jacket like she had brought it herself. We were about a quarter mile from the hotel when Sam stops, sitting down on the sand. It was amazing she had made it this far, considering that she probably hasn't slept in the last forty-eight hours or eaten since last night. I was exhausted myself, but there was no question as to whose welfare was more important right now. What had started out as a way to save her life, but had evolved as a way to piss her off, was almost second nature: under the knees, support her upper back, rest her head against my chest.

Walking on the sand while carrying Sam was more draining than I can even begin to describe and I was relieved when I finally make it to the stone pathway that led up to the hotel. An old doorman opens the double doors for me, his nose crinkling in disapproval as he makes assumptions. I ignore him, focusing on making sure I didn't bump Sam into anything. The employee pressing the button for the elevators wasn't much older than we were and his smirk, accompanied by a knowing smile, gets on my nerves. I readjust Sam, pulling her closer and tightening my grip, while I wait for the doors to finally open. Why oh why had we wanted to sleep on the top story of this skyscraper of a hotel? When the doors finally open, I resist the urge to mouth off to elevator boy and head down the hallway. It wasn't that late-maybe ten-so nobody was in their rooms. No, they were all down at the ballroom or scattered along the beach, enjoying the night.

All but one.

"Freddie?" Carly asks, stepping outside her hotel room. "What happened to Sam?"

"Just let me in, please." I beg, my arms protesting at the marathon time I had been carrying Sam. Carly nods, usuring me inside the hotel room she and Sam were staying in.

"I was waiting up for Sam, I figured she'd be back anytime." Carly explains, closing the door behind us. I nod once, carefully lowering Sam onto one of the beds. Her eyes open, just for a moment, and she reaches up to cup my forehead, almost like she was checking if I had a fever; it was the first acknowledgement that I had received all night. Her hand was cold, and she pulls it away a moment later without even glancing at me. Sam still wasn't herself, but sleep was the only thing that could help her now.

"Night, Freddie." She whispers, lowering her hand and immediately drifting off to sleep. I carefully lift her back up slightly, shimmying the blanket out from under her and pulling it back over to cover her.

"You really care about her, don't you?" Carly asks from behind me, an honest question. I move to the bed next to Sam's, sitting down and rubbing my sore arms.

"We're best friends. If you tell her I said that, I'll have to kill you." I reply, my exhaustion making the lie seem credible. Carly leans against a wall, smiling.

"I don't think you would have done that for me." She says, thinking out loud. Her attention turns to Sam, her expression darkening. "She's always been fine, she just needs time alone. I was stupid for not checking on her." Carly's focus switches back to me, the darkness still present. "How far did you have to carry her?"

"Not far." I lie again, turning to look at Sam again. As always, she was peaceful in sleep, no matter what had occurred while she was awake. After a long beat of silence, my gaze switches back to Carly. Her raised eyebrow and skepticism make me fold almost at once. "A quarter mile. I would have done the same for you." I would have done it for Carly. We had been best friends through the best times of my life and she had, ironically enough, slowly evolved from my crush to an almost sister figure.

"You wouldn't have let me keep your favorite jacket." Carly says quietly, calling me out. I protest, fear managing to well up in me. Carly couldn't know that I was in love with Sam…I'm pretty sure there was some girl code where best friends were supposed to share everything. My words have no effect on Carly, who only smiles before hammering the final nail in the coffin. "You wouldn't have tucked me in so carefully." And I wouldn't have.

**So...what did you think? Seddie or suckish? What did you think of this new information about Sam's dad? If you have any questions, leave a review or PM me and I will be more than happy to answer!**

**Special thanks to: rachim4, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, I'mMusicalMe, Seddielovergrl, Virgoleo23, Romance and Musicals, PurpleMousefurGomez, swimgirl17143, mrssoftball24810, ****Himura2323, popcorn1001, Mike2101, The Donut Eater, RainingBlackLace, Geekquality, Mardelzor, NostalgicHamster16, mirage888, Plant Love Grow Peace, seddieluver, xoxoLissieM, singstar29, Kpfan72491, bella3590, XcrozzybabezX, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, coketree20, Em, Fabina 4 Evahz, theofficailseddiefan, moonshinekiss, and iMaximumSeddie! You guys (and girls) are the best!**

**TO SWIMGIRL17143: Sam is in a funk because it's the anniversary of her dad's death...Sam and Freddie will get together at the end of my story. The question is: How exactly does it happen?**

**TO MRSSOFTBALL24810: Glad you think so! :)**

**TO MIKE2101: I see where you're coming from about the dance and, to some extent, I could see that happening between Sam and Freddie. The reason there is no Seddie moment at the dance is because of what Sam is going through. As you see in this chapter, it's not just reluctance that's holding her back from dancing with Freddie. I couldn't see Sam dancing or even spending real, relationship building time with Freddie while she's mourning her father's death. **

**I try to update every Saturday. :)**

**TO RAININGBLACKLACE: I did see iOMG and I loved it! I couldn't have asked for more from Dan or the writers.  
**

**TO EM: I'm sorry if you'll have to give up my story just because I don't update enough. :/**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Yep, Freddie went looking for Sam but I don't think he found what he expected. **

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: The beach is a really great place for emotion and development, just like you said. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for all of your support! :D**


	65. Memories

**New chapter! Enjoy:**

Sam POV 10:00AM Day 21

Where was I? I didn't want to open my eyes, not while the possibility of sleep lingered, but I honestly had no idea where I was. The last thing I remembered was starting to run along the beach. Wherever I was, it was soft and warm. That was all that mattered right now.

"Sam? Are you awake?" Carly asks, her voice very far away.

"No. Go away." I groan, rolling over and pressing the pillow to my face.

"Melanie has called about a billion times and I really think you should talk to her." Maybe, just maybe, she would go away if I ignored her. It was so warm and soft…plus it smelled good, wherever I was. As if on cue, my phone rang. "See, here she is again! Please talk to her, Sam."

Just ignore her, a little longer…

"You're sleeping in Freddie's jacket." Words took a few seconds to connect with reality and, when they did, suddenly everything made sense. That was why it smelled good. Than nothing made sense. All of my limbs flail at the exact same moment, succeeding in throwing off my blanket but also succeeding in landing me on the floor. I jump up a split second later, the void in my memory suddenly terrifying. "Sam!" Carly cries from the hallway, rushing over to make sure I had survived my sudden spaz attack.

"What happened?" I ask, my intensity catching Carly by surprise. She slides out of arms reach, dropping my phone onto the bed and putting her arms out in front of her defensively. "Carls, why is Freddie's jacket here?" I glance over at the bed, half-hoping that I had only been imagining the intoxicating smell. Yet there his favorite jacket was, strewn over the covers of my bed. "What's today? Is today Sunday?"

"It's Sunday morning. Freddie brought you back here last night." Carly responds carefully, always easing further away. It takes a moment for that to sink in.

Freddie had brought me back to the hotel.

Which meant he had found me yesterday, and who knows what had happened from there?

"What did I say?" I ask, raising a hand to my forehead and taking a shaky breath. "Oh,-." My legs begin to fail, driving me down to the floor in slow increments. "What did I _do_?"

"Calm down, Sam. Deep breaths. He wasn't acting different or anything. I seriously doubt you said or did anything groundbreaking." Carly soothes, stepping forward and reaching down to pat my back.

"You don't understand…I could have told him _anything_. This is bad, oh this is very, very bad. I mean really, really bad!" I bring my knees to my chest, the endless, horrible possibilities suddenly becoming very real.

What if I told him I loved him? What if I told him about my dad? That's not even considering what I could have done!

A hesitant knock on the door interrupts my thoughts and I slowly turn to stare at the door. Carly glances at the door, looking back at me pointedly before starting to get up.

"Wait, don't do it!" I hiss, reaching out in an attempt to stop her. Carly dodges out of my reach, throwing the door open.

"Oh, Freddie we weren't expecting you!" She says, not at all convincingly. I shrink away, fumbling in the nightstand behind me for something, anything to distract me. Didn't they usually keep a book in here? I find a book at the last possible moment and open it to a random page, hiding my face from the approaching footsteps.

"Sam?" He asks, almost like he's afraid of what he'll find.

"What, dork?" I answer, flipping the page to make it look like I was actually reading.

"Are…are you reading the Bible?" He finally asks, pointing at the book in my hands.

"Uh…no. I'm looking at the pictures." The Bible didn't have any pictures. Carly and Freddie chose not to mention this. I slowly lower the book, struggling to appear slightly bored. "So…what did I say?" Freddie looks down at me incredulously, silent for what felt like an eternity.

"You don't remember?" I put the book down, folding my arms around my knees as a response. Carly inches out the front door, all the time mouthing encouragment. I barely manage to surpress the urge to strangle her.

Freddie sits on the bed after a moment, but he still has to look down at me. "First, you said something about the beach. How you used to come to this beach with someone else. Then you said that you felt bad whenever you hit people that tried to wake you up, but you were always sure they were trying to hold you down." He pauses, sliding closer to me. "Who, Sam? Who used to hold you down?" I shake my head, pushing away every memory of that horrible hospital stay. Freddie continues hesitantly, watching my reaction carefully. "You also mentioned that someone used to kiss your forehead every morning but now no one wants to."

It was at this point that my lungs collapse and my chest starts to burn.

"You said he died five years ago yesterday on your way to this beach." He says it quickly, as if it were a band aid that needed to be ripped off. The faster you rip it off, the faster the pain fades. Black spots pop before my eyes as my head starts to spin, searching for a way out. I could tell him the truth about my father's death. I could explain that it was murder. This was the best opportunity I'd ever had; I wouldn't have to start from the beginning.

What would he think? Any decent person shuddered away from a murderer and refused to associate with them. That's why I'd never told anyone, not even Carly. I would lose everything if Carly and Freddie knew. A black abyss seemed to open up under my feet and I fell...

"Get out." I mutter the words so quietly at first that Freddie must think he's misheard. He moves to join me on the floor, but I push him away. "Get out." I repeat, louder this time. Freddie pulls away like I've slapped him, his face ashen. He slowly gets up, turning back to look at me as if he's hoping I'll stop him. I throw one of my shoes at the wall right behind him, my eyes beginning to water. "Get out!" I scream, loathing the tears that begin to trail down my cheeks. My phone starts to ring once more and I pick it up, determined to chuck it at the wall so hard that it breaks. Something restrains me at the name flashing across the screen: Melanie.

My conscience made one of its rare appearences and, for a terrible moment, I remember that I had killed Melanie's father too. I flip open the phone, trying to hold back the tears that were fast becoming sobs.

"Sam?"

"I'm here, Mel."

Freddie POV 10:30AM Day 21

I've never seen Sam Puckett cry. Maybe once or twice I've seen the telltale red eyes and the wet cheeks, but I've never actually witnessed her crying. Ever.

Why should now be any different? I had overstepped bounds, strained the delicate balance we worked so hard to maintian, and had gotten few answers in return. My feet carried me and, for a few minutes, I was completely unaware of where I was going. The only thing that mattered was that I kept moving. If you didn't move forward, you would be pushed back.

Sam would come around. I had to believe that. If I she didn't come around….that was something I couldn't think about.

When I finally realize I had stopped, I blink. What was this place? I reach out to touch the crumbling wallpaper of the ancient room, continuing to look around. The celing of the room was impossibly high and almost church-like; a sense of tragedy hung over the place.

"Hello?" I call, goosebumps rising on my skin as my voice echos around the cavournous room. There was no furniture, nothing to suggest that the room had been occupied in the last fourty years. Why was there a room like this in one of the most upscale hotels in Washington?

"So, you have found it." A voice says quietly, right behind me. I spin, jumping violently at Ms. Espostio's sudden appearance. She stares at me through her huge glasses, emotionless.

"I-I'm sorry. I got lost…and found this place." I gesture around the room awkwardly, finally resting my hand on the back of my neck. Ms. Esposito studies me for a long moment before switching her attention to the wall nearest to her. She reaches out gently, stroking the wallpaper.

"I pay the hotel to keep this room in this condition. This is the floor, the wallpaper, the exact ballroom where he promised to stop looking for me." I freeze, transfixed by this sudden development. "I will not tell you the whole story, at least not here; that would tarnish the room. Know only that regret is the hardest thing you will ever have to live with. Go now, Freddie, leave me." I obey, swiftly exiting the ballroom and trying not to let the truth of her words get to me. I shouldn't regret what I never had a chance at in the first place.

Yet the message lingered: _If you're ever going to tell her, it's going to have to be soon._

**So...what did you think? Let me know!**

**Special thanks to: rachim4, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Seddielovergrl, LoveHateSucker, seddieluver, mekaylawrotethis, XcrozzybabezX, Geekquality, popcorn1001, ****swimgirl17143, alwayssmiling11, moonshinekiss, mirage888, Mike2101, Plant Love Grow Peace, cutie4lifeand4ever, icecoffee18, Virgoleo23, HugsandBugsSmileyface, Romance and Musicals, bluemystique, xoxoLissieM, iLoveNubsAndVampires, bella3590, leodoglover, MHOOV53, I'mMusicalMe, Moela Rose, coketree20, Hannah Cha, Fabina 4 Evahz, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, lorkay, Kpfan72491, LoonyMsLuna, iMaximumSeddie, kaelkitty, danangela, SeddieShortBus, kitkat163, pinkconchshell, and Mystapleza.**

**TO SWIMGIRL17143: I'm working on it. :)**

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO MIKE2101: I could definitely see that happening, thanks for putting some consideration into it. :)**

**This chapter was more of a filler than anything, but it leads to (hopefully) some of the best plot of the entire story in the next few chapters.**

**TO MHOOV53: Thanks! I loved iOMG but I think we have to wait for iOMG Part 2 to figure out how Seddie it actually was. :)**

**TO HANNAH CHA: Hello again! Percabeth is one of my favorite ships. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Thanks! Alex Cooper will be back in a few chapters.**

**TO KITKAT163: Glad you enjoy my story so much! Sam and Freddie will get together, but it's going to take a lot of plot twists. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please, please remember to review!**


	66. WinWinWin

**New chapter! Enjoy:**

Carly POV 12:00PM Day 21

I press my palm against the cool wood of the door, taking a deep breath before knocking. They had fought; that much was obvious when I had returned. A boy I faintly recognize as Friar Lawrence opens the door, glancing at the jacket in my hand before smiling pleasantly.

"Looking for Freddie?" He guesses, gesturing at the jacket. I laugh quietly, a small smile pulling at my lips.

"Yep. Is he in?" I ask, tilting my head to look behind the boy. He shakes his head, leaning back against the door.

"I haven't seen him since he went over to see you girls. Is there any way I can help?" The boy asks. I'd decided that he was hot and I had to remind myself that Griffin was my boyfriend before answering.

"No, thanks…" I trail off, unsure.

"Ryan." He supplies, not the least bit offended that I had no clue who he was.

"Carly." I say, the sound of footsteps from the elevators distracting me. Freddie appears, stopping short when he notices me in front of his door.

"I brought your jacket back." I finally put in, handing over the dark brown cargo jacket. He reaches out to accept it, silent for a moment before speaking.

"Sam didn't take to kindly to me knowing…" He trails off, eyeing Ryan. Ryan apologizes immediately, disappearing into the room and closing the door behind him.

"I gathered that." I answer, shuddering at the state I had found Sam in.

"What am I going to do?" Freddie asks, his eyes burning with desperation.

"Pretend it never happened. Don't bring it up unless she does. When she's ready...and fully aware of her actions…she'll tell you everything." I say with confidence, relieved when the desperation in Freddie's eyes abates. He nods once, murmuring thanks before retreating back into his room. "Oh, Freddie?" He turns warily. "Once you've got this figured out, I think you should tell her."

"Tell her what?" Freddie asked, his tone laced with tension. He knew exactly what. So that's what I told him.

"You know what."

Sam POV 11:00PM Day 22

Sunday had passed with continuous texts from Melanie, all wishing me well. It wasn't a secret why she wanted me to feel better – she wanted to feel better. I've never been much of a crier; I didn't believe it improved the situation at all, but I just couldn't control the steady stream of hot tears that I'd been holding in.

Sunday night, the bus ride home had been subdued; the drama kids were all sleep-deprived from their weekend of partying and acting. I wore sunglasses, hiding just how bloodshot my eyes were. It would ruin everything if someone actually thought Sam Puckett had _cried. _Carly was silent for the majority of the trip, only exchanging words with Freddie every so often. I ignored everyone.

Monday had come far too early and I had managed to sleep through Carly's attempts to wake me for an extra hour. Of course, that meant that we were both late to school and Carly was irritated with me for most of the morning. Lunch came and I sat with Freddie, Carly, Gibby, and Tasha, as always. Freddie was quiet and he never once mentioned anything that had happened over the weekend. I was grateful.

Two burgers and a triple serving of mashed potatoes later, Carly made me go to class instead of ditching. Freddie was there, just waiting, after fifth period and, for some inexplicable reason, I forgave anything in that instant. The ice broke seconds later and we were back, laughing and joking like nothing had ever happened.

Rehearsal had flown by and, at seven, we had the last of our lines memorized. We'd returned to the Bushwell, Carly and Freddie chattering about the lack of homework after finals while I thought about what I was going to raid from the Shay's fridge. We spent the night watching a marathon of old, cheesy horror flicks whose special effects were laughable. Freddie left a few minutes past midnight and Carly reminded me that there was extra Peppy Cola in the cabinet before heading upstairs. Spencer had gone to bed long ago, claiming that he hadn't slept since Saturday because of some sculpture that needed finishing. I settled in, nestling my head into the pillow and drifting…

Freddie POV 2:00AM Day 23

Here I was, again. Sleep had been hard to come by since the mystery of Sam's past had revealed itself and, almost without my consent, I had somehow ended up in the Shay's apartment. I was still drowsy, handicapped by my exhaustion, when I suddenly seemed to have best idea in the world. What if I woke Sam up the way her dad used to? I wouldn't get hit, wouldn't have to fry bacon and, most of all, Sam might finally tell me everything. A win-win-win!

I lean forward before I can really think it through, carefully pressing my lips to her forehead for the briefest of seconds. Before I can pull away, Sam's eyes fly open and she lunges forward. Her arms wrap around my waist and she hugs me desperately, her momentum carrying us both to the floor. The painful impact succeeds in bringing me to my senses and I realize what I had done.

"Dad?" Sam's sleepy question fills me with the worst self-loathing that I had ever felt. How could I be so stupid? She slowly raises her head off of my chest, her arms still wrapped tightly around my waist. Sam blinks, trying to adjust her eyes to see me properly. My guilt only grows when I notice her sudden, blissful happiness.

"Sam." I say gently. She freezes, her arms loosening from around my waist. "I'm Freddie." Sam pushes off of me, rising to a sitting position. She looks at me with intensity, like she's praying that I'll turn into her dad. I stare back, consumed by guilt, but can't to look away from her gaze. After a few seconds, Sam drops her eyes to the ground and her shoulders slump in defeat. She takes a deep, ragged breath and my guilt crushes me. "Sam, I'm-." Sam just shakes her head, obviously not wanting to hear my apologies. She gets to her feet, avoiding my eyes, and walks out of the apartment.

It's only after she's gone that I realize that her hands were shaking. I can't really tell you how long I sat there, incapacitated, before I reacted to Sam's departure. I finally jump to my feet, jerking the door open and peering up and down the hallway. She wasn't out here, so where would she go? As soon as I think the question, the answer comes to me. Guilt and apprehension mingle within me as I creep silently down the hallway, pausing at the window that opened to the fire escape. She was sitting on the chair that I had left out, looking across the Seattle skyline. There's no wind and no rain, making for a perfectly calm night. I take a deep breath for bravery and step out onto the fire escape. Sam, as still as the perfectly calm night, doesn't acknowledge me, but I know she heard my approach. I sit on the stairs, trying to find something to say.

"Sam." I call softly. No response or even a hint that she had heard me. "I messed up. I don't know what I was thinking and I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry." A lump forms in my throat and I pray that she'll talk to me; I wouldn't blame her if she didn't. After a long beat, Sam's voice, lower than usual, answers me.

"It was actually kind of nice to think that he was back for a few seconds." It's not an acceptance of my apology, just a statement. I hesitate, knowing that I'm probably going to get my ass kicked for this.

"Would it be ok if I woke you up like that from now on? To help you remember him? Sometimes I wish my Dad could be back for a few seconds." Sam turns around in her chair, looking at me like I had just asked her a trick question. At least she doesn't look angry, only confused and surprised.

"I guess…if…if you wanted to." She answers hesitantly, still confused. I nod, a lump in my throat. Sam turns around again and there's a long silence where I try to find something to say.

Sam POV 2:45AM Day 23

"My dad died when I was five." Freddie says. The words don't really register until a few seconds later and I lift the chair, turning it around to face him.

"I'm sorry." I tell him, transparent empathy in my tone. Freddie nods in acknowledgement, distracted by his thoughts.

"I didn't know him very well when he was alive." He glances up, meeting my eyes. "He was in the army. Special forces." I'm unable to look away, caught up in his eyes just as much as his words.

"You never told me that." I say, breaking the long silence that had been entirely too intense. Freddie shrugs, still maintaining eye contact.

"I don't like to talk about it." He says simply, like it's no big deal. I look down, the tiniest bit of hurt rising in me.

"Look, you don't have to tell me all of this just because you feel bad." I say, playing with a string on my shirt.

"I do feel bad," Freddie's tone forces my eyes to raise and meet his. "But I _want _you to know." He reaches out and takes my hand, a sense of calm suddenly settling in. Of course there's the heat, but his touch is reassuring more than anything else. "My dad was sent to boot camp when I was three." Freddie's gaze is focused on something faraway now, a small smile creeping across his face. "They wanted him in special forces because he was really good at tech stuff and he could do a lot of things on the front." My eyebrows raise, gripping Freddie's hand tighter to make him look at me.

"So, you're a second generation tech nerd, huh?" I tease lightly, the sound of Freddie's chuckle making me smile.

"I guess so." His smile fades and I feel mine disappear in response. "He sent letters to us, once a week for two years. I didn't understand them when I was little, but I've gone back and read some of them this year. He was a genius." Freddie's gaze isn't really focused; he's too absorbed in his thoughts. My heart, despite the constant throb that I had grown used too, manages to wrench painfully. I knew that there wasn't going to be a happy ending. "One week, about a month before I started kindergarten, a letter didn't come." He sighs heavily and I squeeze his hand to let him know that I'm still here. Freddie flashes me a grateful smile and takes a ragged breath before continuing.

"My mom freaked, but she tried to keep it hidden from me so I wouldn't be scared. A few days later, a sergeant came to the house and as soon as she saw him, my mom just-." He searches for the right word and I wait patiently, the whole story tugging at my heart. "It was like it wasn't my dad that had died, it was like _she_ had died. She cried for what seemed like forever, but it was probably a few days. I was on my own, waiting for her to get better. I still remember how I lived off of chips and soda…"

Freddie pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand. "My mom was always protective, but when she finally stopped crying, it was like something had snapped. She cleaned all of the food out of our house and replaced it with healthy food. Then she started making me wear a helmet around the house, 'just in case'." He shook his head, his hand shifting to grip mine tighter. "I can't even tell you how many things she changed to make sure I was safe. I've managed to convince her to drop some of them, but I feel bad doing that to her because I'm all she's got left." He looks up at me, his eyes silently telling me that he's done.

I nod, guilt rising at all the times I had teased his mom's over protectiveness. But I don't say anything, hating that I couldn't show how sorry I was. Sucks to be the tough girl sometimes. I look down, wondering if I should tell him. I don't want his pity or disgust, but it may be the only way to show that I'm sorry about teasing him for all those years. That I maybe, sort of, trusted him now.

My eyes had already been stinging when I came out here, the stinging growing worse after Freddie's story and I know that I'm going to lose it if I tell him. Yet it would also be a relief, a huge burden lifted off of me if I could tell just one person. Carly knew almost everything, but she didn't know how I felt about the whole thing or the crime I had committed. Freddie squeezes my hand and manages a smile, not expecting me to say anything but just (oddly enough) enjoying my company. That's how I decide to tell him. So, for the first time ever, I allow myself to think about it.

**First, I can't even begin to thank all of the fantastic reviewers that have helped me reach 2,000 reviews! It means so much and I'm amazed at how much this story has taken off, thanks to the readers and reviewers. **

**Reviewers from last chapter: mirage888, Mardelzor, I'mMusicalMe, AndySaysTed, XcrozzybabezX, Geekquality, LoonyMsLuna, twilightcrazzed999, AshesToAshes, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, alwayssmiling11, Seddielovergrl, Romance and Musicals, seddieluver, Plant Love Grow Peace, sarlovesoccer, sincerely broken, Fabina 4 Evahz, Mystapleza, moonshinekiss, Mari13ssa, bluemystique, Himura2323, kaelkitty, Purplemousefurgomez, leodoglover, MaggieTheUnicorn, rachim4, coketree20, bella3590, ClarindaROXASAERITH13, Mike2101, iPeppyCola, Kpfan72491, nekoken, Kenzstuff17, iMaximumSeddie, InvaderZia, AWESOME, LaUrEn-ShAuNy, SeddieShortBus, Cati, OnAMission, singstar29, seddieluver4eva, jhuikmn08, SSisk, Hannah Cha, seddie lover 101, and mrssoftball24810!**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Aww, thanks! :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: More about Sam's dad next chapter, more about Ms. Esposito in future chapters. :)**

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: Thanks! :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Hope you had fun in Mexico, glad you're back! :)**

**TO INVADERZIA: Wow, thanks! :D**

**TO AWESOME: Glad you enjoyed it! :)**

**TO CATI: This has to be one of my favorite reviews in a long time! Thanks so much for your support! :D**

**TO SSISK: I'm still updating weekly. Wendy will get what's coming to her, don't worry. :)**

**TO HANNAH CHA: Thanks! Kim Possible is pretty bad ass, for sure. xD**

**TO SEDDIE LOVER 101: SHOUT OUT! haha, thanks for reviewing.**

**TO MRSSOFTBALL24810: 15 more chapters, very roughly. Thanks! :)**

**So...that's about it! If you have any questions, leave a review or PM me! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :D**


	67. Once Upon A Time

**My longest chapter to date! It's not the happiest chapter, but it wraps up a lot of loose ends. The italicized lyrics are **You're My Best Friend **by **Queen. **Enjoy:**

Freddie POV 3:15AM Day 23

"Well, as long as we're doing show and tell…" Sam trails off, her sarcasm the slightest bit off. I look down at our hands, tightening my grip slightly. She clears her throat and shifts in her chair uncomfortably. "My mom always liked Melanie better, from the time we were born. That's why she entered me in beauty pageants: she wanted another Melanie." Sam rolls her eyes in slight amusement, but her words make me angry. I knew that some parents preferred some children over others, but not Sam. It just didn't make sense.

"That's stupid." I say, my eyebrows scrunching together in an angry line. Sam laughs breathily, shaking her head.

"_Everyone _likes Melanie better." She explains, looking me straight in the eye and daring me to contradict it.

"That's not true!" I protest. "Carly-."

"-likes everyone." Sam finishes for me, raising an eyebrow: _That's all you got?_

"Well, I like you _way_ more than Melanie." I blurt out before I can think. Sam's eyes widen and I struggle to cover. "You're just more fun to hang out with because Melanie was really, really predictable. Like all the other girls." I explain, my face flushing a deep red. Sam nods slowly, blinking.

"Unpredictable?" Sam laughs for real this time. "That's me all right." She looks down at our hands, struggling with something. "I think that's the first time since my dad that anyone's liked be better than Melanie." She says, her voice unnaturally soft. I squeeze her hand reassuringly but she pulls her hand away anyway. I try not to show how much that hurt, instead focusing on what she was saying. "I had just turned twelve." I remember her seventeenth birthday party from a few weeks ago and subtract five years.

"Wait. I knew you then!" I exclaim, stopping when Sam shakes her head.

"You didn't _know _me. I mean, we know each other better now, but you're still the wuss tech nub that I get to beat up on." Sam flashes me a smile and I scowl at her, wondering at just how far we had come since then. Serious again, Sam continues. "As I was saying, I had just turned twelve and my dad was one of my best friends." She swallows heavily before continuing. "Maybe he wasn't the best influence…"

I raise one of my eyebrows, a silent question.

"We only borrowed from that convenience store once, okay! We just really, _really _wanted some fat cakes!" Sam says defensively and I laugh at the scene it must have been: a thirty year old man and his twelve year old daughter stealing fat cakes from a mini mart. "Anyways," Sam stresses the syllables, shaking her head. "He was my best friend and we did tons of things together: movies, MMA fights, throwing fat cakes at joggers, even visiting the meat hall of fame." Her smile disappears and she looks down, tugging at a loose string on her shirt. "It was all my fault that he died." Her tone has the most hatred that I'd ever heard her express, even towards me, and it was directed at herself.

All of a sudden, her muscles seize up and her eyes fix on some point in the distance.

Sam POV 3:38AM Day 23

"C'mon nobody will know! It'll be our little secret. Besides, I'm old enough now!" I plead, walking backwards in front of Dad. He laughs, twirling the keys in his hand and heading towards the car.

"Your mother said that she doesn't want you riding in the front." He reminds me, his lips twitching with the urge to smile. I realize that I actually have a shot at winning and double my efforts.

"Please, Dad? I really, _really_ want to ride shotgun and Mom doesn't have to find out!" I beg, using my blue eyes to their maximum pleading effect. He laughs again, looking between me and the car.

"Okay, but NOBODY and I mean NOBODY can find out. Deal?" He offers, raising an eyebrow. I think about it for about half a second before answering.

"Deal!" I sprint to the other side of the car and dive into the front seat, slamming the door behind me. Dad gets in, shaking his head at my enthusiasm. "You know that you're just a big softie, right?" I tease, punching his arm lightly. He laughs softly, turning the key in the ignition.

"So I've been told." He replies, turning around to back the car out of the driveway. I look out the window, excited to document my very first ride in the front seat of a car. "So how's school been this week?" My dad asks, shifting the car out of reverse. I groan, looking away from my window to complain. "Don't remind me. I have Saturday school tomorrow morning." Not that I'll actually show up at eight in the morning on a perfectly good Saturday. He shakes his head, looking for cars before venturing out into the street.

"Bummer. What are you in for this time?" He asks, taking a sharp left.

"I rigged a balloon filled with purple paint in my teacher's desk. When she opened the drawer it shot the balloon right in her face!" Dad guffaws at this, pausing at a stop sign. We knuckle touch, pulling away with outstretched fingers, complete with a _pshh _explosion sound.

"Nice job, kid!" I laugh with him for a minute, recalling Ms. Briggs look of pure astonishment when she was suddenly covered with purple paint. He stops laughing suddenly, throwing me a sidelong glance before looking back at the road. "How did you get caught?" Dad asks, stopping at a red light and turning to look at me again.

"This kid tattled on me." I say grumpily, folding my arms across my chest. "But don't worry, I set them straight." He cocks one of his eyebrows, keeping his expression neutral.

"What'd you do to them?" Dad asks, turning back to the room when the light turns green. I smile involuntarily at the thought, looking out the window at the rare sunny Seattle day.

"I stole his laptop and threw it in the pool of the apartment complex across the street from us." I say, tracing a pattern on the window. He straightens at my words, shooting me a look of suspicion before turning his eyes back to the road.

"His?" Dad asks, his voice even more suspicious than the look he had given me. His fatherly protectiveness about boys had been almost unnecessary for me so far, but every boy Mel had dated had been talked to – and probably threatened – beforehand. All I knew was that Dad kept a framed version of his criminal record – it ended about fifteen years ago when the big softie had given in to Mom's pleas that he _not _get arrested – but it was lengthy enough to scare even the most determined suitor. The thought that he would need to do this to the particular boy I was talking about almost made me gag. I turn away from the window completely, slapping my hands on my thighs in annoyance.

"Yes, his. Do you have a problem with that?" I growl, glaring at him. He stops at another red light, matching my glare.

"What is this boy's name?" He asks, taking off a little too fast when the light turns green. I roll my eyes, the urge to gag returning.

"Dad!" I cry in some odd combination of embarrassment, annoyance, and disgust. He only shakes his head, clearly waiting for an answer. I glare out the window, folding my arms across my chest and allowing my silence to be enough of an answer. After a minute of stubborn silence, he speaks quietly, his tone dangerous.

"Samantha." He warns, gripping the wheel tighter. I scoff, but I know better than to ignore him.

"I hate him dad, honest! He's one of those AV dorks and he actually _likes _school." I make a noise of disgust before continuing. "You remember that nub that I told you about? The one that's stalking Carly?" I prompt, gesturing for him to understand. Dad relaxes, but still doesn't smile.

"His name?" He asks, motioning for another car to go in front of us. I sigh dramatically and cross my arms across my chest again.

"Freddie Benson." I mutter, half hoping he won't hear. Dad actually smiles at this, glad that I wasn't seeing some guy behind his back. He wouldn't want to miss off on any opportunity to show off his criminal record.

"I remember now." He glances at me quickly, smirking, before turning back to the rode. "You talk about him a lot." His tone clearly hints that he likes Freddie, the nub that he's never even met.

"Dad!" I cry, burning with embarrassment. He laughs at me, the smirk never leaving his face. "This is so not funny!" I protest, hating when he chuckles again. "I just told you that I hate him and that he's completely in love with my best friend!" He turns right at the signal, checking for cars before he speaks.

"Well, he sounds like a nice guy to me and people change when they grow up." Dad looks at me innocently before returning his attention to the road. "I wouldn't have a problem with him dating Mel or y-."

"Okay!" I cut him off, sinking lower in my seat with burning red cheeks. Taking advantage of the silence and the window, I look at the city whirling by and try to forget that my dad had just given me permission to date my nemesis.

"I've been wanting to have a talk to you," He says awkwardly, making me look at him in surprise. "about boys." His words take a second sink in, but when they do I crush myself against the door, trying to escape.

"No, Dad, no!" I cry in terror, ignoring his attempts to calm me. "I'm pretty sure Mom covered everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, so you don't have to talk to me!" Dad takes one of his hands of the wheel and places it on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me.

"Relax! Believe me, I'm about as eager as you are to cover that particular topic." He actually sounds embarrassed himself, so I allow his intended calming effect to sweep through me. Recognizing that I'm okay now, he pulls his hand off my shoulder and takes a deep breath before continuing. "I want to tell you what you should look for in a guy." I consider for a minute before responding.

"What about Mel? Shouldn't she be getting this lecture too?" I ask, frowning when I imagined how much fun Mel and Mom were having right now. Dad laughs, pausing at a stop sign before answering.

"Don't worry, she will, but you need it first." He answers, flashing me a quick look of amusement. I'm not sure whether to be offended or honored that I need to have this 'talk' before Melanie.

"Why's that?" I demand, crossing my arms across my chest in dissent. Dad shrugs, quickly becoming serious.

"Melanie knows what she wants and I don't see anything wrong with what she likes in a guy." He pauses, leaning forward to check for cars before crossing the intersection. "Mel knows that she's a princess." Dad smiles, poking my arm with his elbow. "You haven't seemed to decide what you want yet and need to be reminded that you're a princess too." I make a noise of disgust at the mention of me and princess in the same sentence, but Dad just rolls his eyes. "Like it or not, you're a princess too, kid." I open my mouth to protest but he cuts me off. "You may never realize it, but as long as I know and the guy that comes to steal you away from me knows-," Dad shrugs, careful to avoid my gaze. "-that's what's important." I sit in silence, absorbing all that he had said. I had never considered myself a princess, nor would I EVER think of myself that way. Mel was the obvious princess, always decked out in girly clothes and the recently gained following of boys that clung to her as their first crush only added to the image.

I would _**never**_ be the princess.

"Rule number one, opposites attract." Dad says, startling me out of my thoughts. "For example, your mom and I. We complement each other because we're opposites." He gets a kind of faraway look in his eyes, just like he always does when he talks about mom. "You and Mel definitely need to look for that in a person before you even consider dating them." Dad nods in conviction, turning right at a signal. I absorb this, thinking back to all the times I had wondered how two people that were so completely different could end up together. Yet they had always seemed blissfully happy despite the frequent arguments that had always seemed more on the playful side then the serious side. Maybe he did know a thing or two.

"So…what kind of person would you want me with?" I ask cautiously, honestly wondering what he would say. Dad taps on the steering wheel with his thumbs, taking a second before answering.

"You deserve the best and don't you dare settle for anything else." He says with heat, surprising me with his intensity. "You need a nice guy, someone that opens doors and is basically the picture of chivalry. Even though you'll roll your eyes and pretend to ignore the little stuff, you're the type of girl that loves that kind of thing. You need someone who's going to put up with all of your pranks and teasing, but he still needs to have a backbone and be able to stand his ground when you go too far. You need a guy that's also you're best friend, someone that you have so much fun hanging out with that you never want to leave his side." His voice is soft now, completely different from the heated tone he had used only a minute ago. "When you find the right person, it should feel like the most reassuring thing in the world to touch them. Like coming home." He shifts in his seat, keeping his eyes fixed on the road instead of returning my stare. "Believe it or not, every person needs help at some point. They need someone to be there and to protect them."

"I don't n-." I protest in annoyance before being cut off.

"Everyone needs someone, kid. Besides, I'm not going to be around forever and I need to know that somebody's gonna be taking care of you." I sit, frozen in my seat, trying to find my voice.

"Don't talk like that. You're never going to die." I shake my head in denial. "Never." I repeat, ignoring the lump forming in my throat.

"Find the guy that knows you're a princess." He lets his words hang in the air, silence engulfing us for a few minutes while I absorb everything. He'd described a type of guy that I'd never even considered as someone I would date, but it hadn't sounded bad; just…different…and way more permanent than anything I had ever thought about. Seeking a distraction, I flip on the radio and tune it to my favorite station. Dad shoots me a sideway glace of amusement and I turn up the radio all the way, laughing when he starts singing. It's almost the end of the song, but he picks it up right away.

"_You're my best friend_." He sings, terribly off key, poking my stomach during the five second instrumental section. "_Ooo, you make me live_." I laugh, pretending to play the electric guitar while he waits for the words to start up again. "_I'm happy, happy at home_. _You're my best friend._" Dad continues, tapping his hands on the wheel and turning to face me. The guitar solo starts to play again and I pretend to strum dramatically, still laughing.

"You know, maybe I will take your dating advice." I yell over the music, my thoughts going back to our 'talk'. He just nods, grinning at me and waiting for the words to start again. Something catches my attention over my dad's shoulder and I stop strumming, time seeming to slow down at the sight of the black truck heading straight for us. It seems almost like a dream, reality not really setting in. I'm just watching this car heading straight for us, like in a movie. It's not like it's really going to hit us, right? For the first time I focus on the driver, a middle-aged woman with dark hair. She isn't looking at us, instead focusing on her dashboard or something in her lap. Adrenaline pulses through me, my heart pumping faster than ever before and my breath is suddenly missing.

"_You're my best friend_." Dad sings, for some reason not seeing the truck that was heading right for his side of the car. I inhale sharply, the woman in the truck looking up for the first time and meeting my eyes. For the longest second of my life, we stare at each other, both of our eyes widening in realization. I want to say something, need to say something, but the words are caught in my throat. The impact is shocking, the seatbelt cutting deep into my flesh and my body oddly weightless for what feels like an eternity. The squeal of tires and distinctive screeching of metal being forced against each other pierces my ears and my first thought is that the sound must have traveled for miles. Twisted metal and glass fly through the air and I instinctively shield my face, especially my eyes, with my hands. I'm suddenly thrown against the passenger's side of the car, my head slamming into the window and shattering all of the glass from the frame. I don't feel pain, barely conscious of the fact that there was glass in my hands and my head, let alone that it should hurt. I'm dimly aware that we're still moving, skidding across the asphalt with deadly speed. That is, until my side of the car collides with a curb across the street. I feel like a rag doll, thrown towards the shattered window once again and winching when something digs deep into my right arm. Everything stops, another long moment before I vaguely hear screams.

My vision is hazy, shifting and spinning around wildly, making me dizzy. I close my eyes, trying to think. I should be doing something right now, but I couldn't think clearly, my mind just as hazy as my vision. Struggling for consciousness, I force my eyes open and allow them to drift around the mutilated wreck of the car. There's _something_ I need to do, but it's frustratingly elusive, taunting me. My eyes gradually make their way over to the seat on my left and I blink, thinking that my eyes are playing a trick on me. This had to be some crazy dream, right? The limp body in the seat next to me couldn't be him. Blood trickles down the side of his head, pooling on his shoulder. Dad's white shirt is soaked red, shards of glass and metal sticking out of his chest at the oddest angles, but a huge, gaping dent where his temple should be is the most obvious injury. I blink again, my fuzzy brain deciding that I should tell him that I was okay and see how he was doing.

"Dad." I say weakly, my throat not working correctly. He doesn't respond, not moving a muscle. Slightly annoyed that he was ignoring me when I needed to hear him say it would be okay, I try to reach out to poke him. When only one of my arms moves correctly, I look down without thinking. My left arm was fine, able to bend and move normally. My right arm was a completely different story. Glass shards, most of them oozing blood, were wedged all the way up to my shoulder. Horrified, I look away and try not to scream. It would hurt when I finally felt the pain. I reached out with my left arm and poke his bloodstained shoulder. No response. "Dad." I say louder, worried for the first time. My heart pumps faster, making my right arm ache as more blood pumped out. "Dad!" I cry hoarsely, terrified now. He hasn't moved a muscle and there's just so much blood that he could be… "DAD!" I scream, slamming my good arm on the dashboard to get his attention. He would never ignore me like this except if he was… The tears of anguish are suddenly falling fast and thick, my heart pounding with the most painful apprehension. I reach out and take his hand, hoping for a pulse at his wrist. I'm clumsy, my fingers fumbling desperately. It has to be there, I'm just being stupid. Trying to remain calm, I continue to search, praying for the pulsing of his heart. After an agonizing minute of this, I lose it. "YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! PLEASE," I break off, sobbing so hard now that I can't even speak.

He doesn't move, completely ignorant to my pleas. I silently pray, adding Mom and Mel to my thoughts. Dad can't leave us, not now, not ever. I lose track of time, only aware of the still warm wrist that I desperately search for a nonexistent pulse and the way the very air seemed to be strangling me. I'm half conscious of the shouts of people outside the car, but I ignore them, completely wrapped up in my desperate attempt to bring him back. My head aches, the pain growing every minute until half of my tears are for…him…and the other half out of pain. More shouts, followed by an almost chainsaw like sound right outside my door. The sound bounces around in my head, almost making me pass out with the pain. I fight for consciousness, gripping Dad's hand tightly and vowing that I wouldn't leave him. It could have been minutes or hours, but to me it felt like an eternity for someone to come to me. I close my eyes, exhausted, my sobs less often now.

"Are you hurt, kid?" The nickname brings back everything and I'm falling apart again, clinging to Dad. Strong arms wrap around my waist, gently pulling me away from him. Fury mixes with my grief and pain, my head growing worse by the second. It's too much, all too much but I won't let him go. He's going to come back, I just need to be here when he wakes up.

"She's alive!" The man calls hoarsely, turning around to reveal bright, flashing lights. It hurts. I resist, the pull on my waist growing stronger in response. It quickly turns into a tug-of-war, one that I lose when the pain in my head grows shocking. My vision blurs, only the need to stay with him remaining with me. The arms around my waist pull me through the crushed window frame, ignoring my weak struggles. Bright sunlight stuns me for a second, freezing my squirming. The man carries me towards a loud flurry of voices, calling for help the entire time. He carefully puts me down on something, my back screaming in protest as my entire weight falls onto it.

"Hang on honey, don't give up." A women's voice comes to me as I close my eyes, unable to take the bright lights anymore. Someone puts a mask over my face and another starts to belt me in. I should be doing something right now. It hits me suddenly and I lash out, kicking at the guy trying to strap me in. I make contact with his nose and he gives a cry of pain, backing off.

"Calm down, honey, calm down." The woman urges, gesturing for others to come to her aid. Strong hands pin my ankles, knees, and shoulders and the woman speaks again.

"We've got you, honey, we've got you. Calm down." I refuse to give up, fighting desperately and ignoring their soothing words. I need to be there when he wakes up, I have to be. The pain in my head grows worse by the second, an all consuming ache mixed with a sharp, stabbing agony.

"Don't leave us now! Don't fall asleep, honey, don't give in!" The woman becomes slightly panicky for the first time as she works quickly to strap me down. That's when I hear it.

"Killed on impact. He's gone." A man says from somewhere to my right. I strain to see through the blue-clad paramedics, clinging to my last seconds of consciousness. Another group of paramedics huddle around the other rolling gurney, blocking my view. Too weak to continue, I stop struggling and focus all of my energy on figuring out what's going on. The people restraining me move out of my line of sight as the woman finishes buckling the last strap, saying things to me that I don't bother to listen to. Instead I watch his limp body being placed carefully on the other gurney, managing to feel the horrible ache of grief over all my other pains. My head gives a particularly painful throb and I groan, succumbing slowly to the haze. The last thing I see is the white sheet over his body. The last thing I hear is the woman begging me not to give up. Then I tumble gratefully into blackness.

**Just to clarify, Sam's POV is a memory, but she's remembering it for the first time since it happened. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a review or PM me.**

**Special thanks to: rachim4, The Donut Eater, Geekquality, Kpfan72491, mekaylawrotethis, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, Himura2323, lorkay, LoonyMsLuna, leodoglover, Mike2101, ober22, Plant Love Grow Peace, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Cati, alwayssmiling11, veeheart914, MaggieTheUnicorn, PurpleMousefurGomez, AshesToAshes, bluemystique, swimgirl7143, Fabina 4 Evahz, Tvshowobsessed2, Mystepleza, iPeppyCola, soultaker97, singstar29, Coffee Noodles, seddieluver, theofficialseddiefan, bella3590, iLoveNubsAndVampires, Seddielovergrl, popcorn1001, Static1218, SSisk, mirage888, OnAMission, SeddieShortBus, Hannah Cha, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, XcrozzybabezX, I'mMusicalMe, nekoken, Mardelzor, KressxBlack, sarlovessoccer, coketree20, Katrina, Quinno96, EllyWrites, Wahoo Puncher, iMaximumSeddie, Bella503, iLovemesomeSeddieChanny, ke-dollar sigh-ha, Wisdom's Shadow, and Julefor! This is the most reviews I've ever gotten for a chapter and I'd like to thank you all for your amazing support!**

**TO CATI: Thanks! Hope this chapter lived up to expectations! :)**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Glad you liked it! :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: A sequel? I have to finish this one first! A trip to D.C...what?**

**TO iPEPPY COLA: Aww, thanks! My grandma actually has a peacock that lives near her house, I've seen it before! xD**

**TO SSISK: I update on Saturdays, this update was a little late because I had some family stuff, so don't worry about checking every other day. xD I'll let you know if I decide to have a week where I push out three or four chapters. Maybe that's how I'll end iShakespeare. :)**

**TO HANNAH CHA: At this point, I figured it was kind of pointless to continue reminding the readers that I don't own anything. xD I did enjoy that totally random and useless fact though. Go Oz! **

**TO KATRINA: Not this chapter, but in a few chapters. The newspaper reporter wasn't random...just wait. :)**

**TO WAHOO PUNCHER: Why does Freddie keep picking Sam up? Good question... I guess the honest answers are that:**

**1. I would love for it to happen on the show. Wouldn't it be awesome?**

**2. The situation calls for it (Freddie saving her life, helping her to the car, etc.)**

**3. Sam's mental vulnerability is more evident when she is physically worn-down**

**That's all I can think of off the top of my head. :)**

**TO iLOVEMESOMESEDDIECHANNY: Yep, Freddie's over Carly.**

**TO KE-DOLLAR SIGN-HA: I have to ask...your username: WHAT THE BUCK? or Glee?**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and reviewing! :D**


	68. Don't Make Me Regret It

**New chapter! Enjoy:**

Freddie POV 3:38AM Day 23

The memory must have been pushing on the edges of her consciousness for her to remember so quickly.

"We were going to the beach. We had a crappy car, a real junker." Sam pauses, her concentration completely devoted to slowly bringing back the memory. She suddenly starts, her concentration wavering for a moment. "I sat in the front seat, just like Mom always told us not too." Sam has to clear her throat before she can continue, and I feel my throat tighten in response. "We were talking…talking about something I did to Ms. Briggs…hey, wait!" Sam cocks her arm before digging her fist into my shoulder.

"Ow! What the hell, Sam?" I ask, wincing as I rubbed my throbbing shoulder.

"You told on me! I can't believe you ratted me out." Sam answers, her eyes narrowed.

"What are you talking me about?" I demand, pulling up my shirt sleeve to look for the bruise.

"You told Ms. Briggs that I was the one who rigged her desk." My clueless look prompts her to continue. "Back when we were twelve." I roll my eyes, remembering now.

"You already got revenge for that! Thanks for throwing my laptop in the pool, by the way." Sam concentrates for a moment before her face clears.

"Oh, yeah." She reaches out tentatively, touching my non-bruised shoulder carefully. "My bad." Sam pulls her hand back before I can react, looking down. "Anyways, we were talking about the prank and…." The look of concentration returns as she trails off, interrupted moments later by Sam's small cry of surprise. She looks up at me, her eyes wide with shock. "I-I….I didn't…he didn't…no."

"What's wrong?" I ask, sliding forward to be closer. Sam stares at me, her concentration somewhere impossibly far away, and says nothing. "Are you okay?" I reach out to touch her cheek, my concern clouding my judgment.

Sam mumbles something that sounds distinctly like 'coming home' before shifting away, sliding my hand off of her cheek.

"It's nothing, I just turned on the radio, full blast. That was stupid." She continues to stare straight at me, her eyes beginning to shine. It took me a minute to realize tears were forming. Sam closes her eyes, slumping back in the chair. "I could have said something when I saw the truck. I had time. But I didn't." She can't seem to bring herself to look at me. "I killed him, Freddie."

Something inside of me breaks. I'm pretty sure it's my heart.

"Sam-." I start, my throat tight. Sam stops me with a look and I can tell she's trying so hard not to lose it.

"Don't. Don't make me regret telling you. Just go." Her voice shakes. I can't see any of the old Sam in this shadow before me.

"I can't leave you like this." I say firmly, remaining exactly where I was. Sam remains silent this time, turning her face away from me. "I know how it feels to lose someone and you can't blame yourself."

"Oh, but I can. Were you there? Was Melanie there? How do you know that it wasn't my fault? You two just can't leave me alone!" Sam's fury seems to squeeze the tears out of eyes and I watch them chase each other down her cheeks. "I should have known you'd do this! He even warned me about you, told me that you'd always be trying to take care of me. I just didn't remember." She catches herself, but her eyes are burning, burning with countless emotions. I honestly didn't know if she wanted to throw me off the fire escape or hug me as tightly as she could. Maybe both. Instead, she gets up abruptly and steps back into the hallway.

I debate for minutes, wondering whether or not to follow her. Sam needed some space, but I'd never forgive myself if I did absolutely nothing.

Carly POV 4:00AM Day 23

I feel something warm poke my foot and I groan, shifting away. It pokes me again and I lift my head a little bit.

"Spencer, why did you wake me up before my alarm clock? Go away." I say sleepily, plopping my head into my comfortable pillows again.

"It's Freddie." Freddie hisses from the foot of my bed. I groan and try to speak without lifting my head. It comes out unintelligible and Freddie pokes my foot again. "What?" He asks, his voice the tiniest bit off. I lift my head a little bit, determined to keep my eyes closed so that I can fall asleep again.

"I said that Sam was downstairs on the couch and then I asked if you got lost." I whisper, collapsing into my pillows again. Freddie grabs my foot, pulling me out of my comfortable position, and all the way to the edge of the bed. I flip onto my back and glare at him. "What was that for? Believe it or not _some _people actually enjoy sleeping through the night!" I hiss at him. The room is so dark that I can't see his face and I reluctantly get to my feet, pushing the light switch. Bright light floods the room and we both groan, rubbing our eyes. Freddie recovers first and his tone tells me that he means business.

"Why didn't you tell me about Sam's dad?" He asks, practically spitting with fury. I let my hands fall away from my eyes and I stare at him, suddenly alert.

"She told you?" I ask, relieved that all of us finally knew. We had been twelve the first time that Sam showed up in the middle of the night at my house. It had been a shock to wake up in the middle of the night and see Sam lying on the floor next to my bed. She had been like a zombie or a robot, unresponsive to anything I said. The only thing she did was hand me a paper, a police report. I read it, my horror growing with every second.

It had said that Mr. Puckett was at fault, running a red light into the middle of a busy intersection. They had been t-boned on the driver's side by a truck going 55mph in a 25mph zone. The lady driving the truck had been late to a lecture. Mr. Puckett had been killed on impact, but somehow Sam had escaped with only a concussion and other minor injuries. I had read the report three or four times before it really sunk in. Sam had sat there the whole night, not reacting to anything I had said or did. When morning came, it was like the sun had revitalized her and she was back to normal. Except she was never quite the same.

She hated riding shotgun, insisting that seeing other cars annoyed her. Sam wouldn't listen to Queen music anymore, even though they had been one of her favorite bands. She often commented about her family in thinly veiled insults, but never seriously talked about them anymore. Sam had never really said why, but her right arm was never quite the same after the accident, making her left hand better for punching, even though she was right handed. **(A/N: iChristmas, anyone?)** I offered to pay for her driving lessons as a sixteenth birthday present, but she had declined using the exact phrase "the flying monkeys would steal my permit." So, yeah, she was a little different, but still Sam. Mostly.

"Yeah, she _told _me." Freddie says furiously, getting in my face now. "How could you let her think that?" I back away, startled.

"Think what?" I ask, trying to keep the fear out of my voice. Freddie senses it anyway, forcing himself to take a deep breath and back off, but he doesn't apologize. "She handed me a police report, Freddie. I've never actually talked to her about it." I explain, wondering if this clears things up. Freddie's face twists in pain and I look at him with dread. "What does she think?" I whisper. Freddie shudders.

"She thinks that the crash is her fault." His words don't sink in immediately and I want to refute them, but Freddie's burning expression is enough to ensure that its truth. When I finally understand, I stumble back to sit on the bed. I should've known, but I hadn't.

"Sam can't really think that. The police report said that her dad was at fault, but the other truck was speeding." I say, trying to convince myself that Sam didn't blame herself for her dad's death. That would be…for lack of a better word…awful. Freddie shakes his head, pacing back and forth in front of me.

"I told her about my dad first. It wasn't like I expected her to tell me about her dad, but she did anyway. I shouldn't have let her, but I was selfish. I wanted to know." For the first time, I notice how red Freddie's eyes were.

"You can't think like that, Freddie."

"We can't let Sam think that she's responsible and I won't ignore it this time."

"We need to call Melanie."

Alex Cooper 3:00PM Day 23

"When will I get to meet the stars?" I ask, struggling to keep up with the director of the production.

"After this rehearsal is over. Only a few more scenes left!" She answers, excitement oozing out of every pore. We continue to weave through the huge backstage area until she stops suddenly. "Here are my stars' changing rooms. They'll be along in a few minutes." There were two doors; one was labeled _Romeo _and the other was labeled _Juliet_. This had to be the place. The tiny, dark-haired director had disappeared and I took the opportunity to think. I'd done some research on these iCarly kids. They were very popular throughout the country, with children and adults alike. If I could break a huge story on them, then I would probably be able to pay off all of those student loans that I lose sleep over.

A blond girl in a royal blue dress comes out of nowhere and I stand to introduce myself. "Hi, I'm-." She storms into her dressing room and slams the door before I can finish. I sat back down and waited until I heard voices.

"-you did it all wrong. That's why Melanie and Sam don't talk anymore."

"So, if I sit back and say nothing, Sam will talk to me? I should just let her think that it's all her fault?"

"For now, if you want to be friends with Sam. At least, that's what Melanie said."

"I think that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard, Carly. She was fine today, until I brought it up just now."

"Exactly. Just don't bring it up."

A brunette boy and dark-haired girl turn the corner, stopping in their tracks when they see me.

"Alex Cooper, _Seattle Daily_." I extend my hand, watching as realization dawned.

"Freddie Benson." The boy says, shaking my hand. The girl steps forward, shaking my hand next.

"Carly Shay." The girl withdraws her hand and knocks on the door behind me.

"Sam? The newspaper guy is here." No response from the room.

"I have ham." Freddie calls, pulling a bag of meat out of his backpack. The door opens slightly and a blue eye inspects her surroundings before the door opens completely. Freddie offers the ham to Sam, smiling slightly and shaking his head.

"We can start then?" I ask, taking a seat once more. All three nod their heads and I can't help but notice that Sam's mood had improved enough to elbow Freddie playfully as she accepted the ham. "Okay, I'll keep it short today. Most of our interview will take place tomorrow, after the first show. Is that okay?"

"Sure." Carly says, after checking with Sam and Freddie.

"Great. Today is just to get a focus for my article so I can come up with my questions for tomorrow." I explain, producing a small notebook from my backpack. "If you could use one word to describe your experience in this production of _Romeo and Juliet, _what would it be?" I don't miss Sam's eye roll, but I don't blame her. It wasn't a great question, but one that my editor was requiring me to ask.

"Revealing." Carly says, fighting the urge to smirk. Freddie and Sam look away, both of their cheeks flushing slightly. After a minute of thought – and recovery – they answer.

"Difficult." Freddie chooses the word carefully, editing his thoughts. Sam takes a savage bite of ham before answering.

"A pain in the-."

"Sam!" Carly says, shaking her head. "This is for a newspaper."

"Fine. It's been fan-freakin-tastic."

I didn't appreciate the sarcasm.

**So...what did you think? Let me know in a review!**

**Special thanks to: coketree20, seddieluver, moonshinekiss, Quinno96, sincerely broken, iPeppyCola, PartyPooper845, popcorn1001, mekaylawrotethis, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, leodoglover, KressxBlack, soultaker97, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Em, swimgirl7143, AshesToAshes, Katrina, sarlovessoccer, Geekquality, I'mMusicalMe, Lyllian CK, Anonymous, Himura2323, mirage888, InvaderZia, MaggieTheUnicorn, alwayssmiling11, icecoffee18, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, Kpfan72491, Mystapleza, Plant Love Grow Peace, bella3590, Mike2101, lukthedude, EllyWrites, Fabina 4 Evahz, Mardelzor, LoonyMsLuna, MarciaLovesRVCuppycakes, singstar29, rachim4 luktheduke, Wisdom's Shadow, Lomie-Pumie, Hannah Cha, and london101! You guys (and girls) are awesome! **

**TO MOONSHINEKISS: Thanks! I spent a lot of time writing that flashback, so I'm glad it went over so well. :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: About fifteen chapters left. It's a rough estimate. **

**TO EM: Glad you're back! This chapter had more of the school/play, but next chapter is going to be Seddie/opening day! **

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Saturday is here! Hope next Saturday comes quickly. :)**

**TO KATRINA: Sam thinks the crash is her fault for the following reasons: She rides in the front seat (like her mother told her not to), she turned on the radio full blast (distracting her dad), and then she can't say anything when she sees the truck coming. Hope that helped! :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS: Wow, that's a lot to read in two days! Thanks so much for your support and I'm happy to hear that my story was able to do all of that. Thank you. :)**

**TO INVADERZIA: Glad you liked it so much! :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: The beach Sam and Freddie went to was somewhere on the coast of Washington. I don't live in Washington, so I have absolutely no idea exactly where they went, but somewhere a few hours outside of Seattle. They went there because Ms. Esposito is filthy rich and can afford to treat the drama kids before their spring performance every year. It was also a place to practice their acting. **

**TO HANNAH CHA: iDate a Bad Boy was a good episode. Mostly because of Griffin. :) Hope your dad didn't get mad at you!**

**TO LONDON101: Glad you like it so much! I update on Saturdays. :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :D**


	69. Let The Nerves Begin

**New chapter! Enjoy:**

Freddie POV 1:00AM Day 24

I'd slept fitfully up to this point; worries chasing each other in endless circles through my consciousness. I could put most of my worries down as terror for opening night, but there was the occasional twinge when I wondered if Sam was doing okay. Sleep was beyond me, and I decided to take a walk.

I was on my third lap around the hallway when I decided to check on Sam for a moment. The lock on the Shay's door was easy to pick and it took me less than a minute. I take a deep breath before checking to see if Sam had chained the door shut.

Please, please…

The door eases forward, unchained, and I look around the room through the tiny opening. Light from the television throws shadows across the room, illuminating the couch. Sam's eyes were bloodshot.

"Sam?" I ask without thinking, opening the door. Sam jumps about a foot in the air, scowling when she recovers.

"Chiz! What are you doing here, Freddork?" She asks harshly, rubbing her eyes. I know that Sam needed to sleep at some point tonight and I adjust my story accordingly.

"I went for a walk, but now I'm locked out." I say, praying that she'll buy it. She studies me suspiciously for a minute, not quite believing me.

"Go pick the lock." She suggests, tapping the remote in the palm of her hand.

"I tried, but my mom just installed this new security system that makes it impossible to pick the lock." I lie, shaking my head shamefully. Sam still isn't sold, watching me carefully.

"So, you can sneak out of your house but you can't sneak in?" Sam asks, rolling her eyes when I nod. "Aww….does mommy not know that wittle Fweddiebear sneaks out?" She says, patronizing as ever, but her scowl was slowly becoming a smile.

"Something like that." I say mildly, taking a step forward into the flickering light.

"Then why don't you go sleep in the hall, Fredalupe?" Sam asks, some of the hostility leaving her tone. I shake my head, walking over to the couch and taking the plaid blanket off of the coffee table. I spread the blanket across the floor between the coffee table and the couch, shifting around to make it more comfortable.

"I like it much better here." I say in contentment, hoping that Sam didn't kick the crap out of me. She only shakes her head, scowling down at me. "You know, you should really get some sleep too." I suggest, trying to be somewhat subtle but failing completely. Sam just shakes her head again, watching her TV show intently. "Why not?" I ask in exasperation, wondering if she'll really tell the truth. Call me crazy, but I really doubt she will.

"I was actually considering it until you stole my blanket, dipthong." Sam says in annoyance, managing a glare at me before turning her attention to the TV again. She shivers, a real one based on how much she was shaking. Nobody faked a shiver that well. "I'm too cold to sleep now." Sam says, sitting up and hugging her knees to her chest to contain the shivers.

"Well, I'm not sleeping on the floor without the blanket underneath me. It's already uncomfortable enough with the blanket." I say stubbornly, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Give it to me!" Sam demands, raising a fist. I shake my head, flinching when she fakes a punch. "Are you really going to make me kick your ass, Benson? I'm really not in the mood."

"It's mine. Get your own." I insist, surprising even myself with the firmness in my voice. She changes tact.

"Can't you just sleep on the chair?" Sam whines, rocking back in forth with her arms wrapped around her legs. I shake my head, sitting up and gesturing at the chair.

"I've tried that before and I was so sore that I couldn't walk right for a week!" I say, my resolve faltering when Sam shivers again. Then a solution for both of us comes to me and I get up, motioning for Sam to lie down on the couch. She stares at me warily, but obeys when I motion for her to lie down again. "Move over." I say, watching as Sam finally understands what I'm doing.

"Ha. You're funny, Benson. There is NO WAY that I'm sharing the couch." Sam says, raising one of her eyebrows as a sort of challenge. I smirk in response, taking the small step I need to lift Sam up. Before she can fight me off, I pull up and hold her against my chest. I'm expecting a tirade or at least some struggling, but instead Sam stares up at me in shock. My cheeks color from the sudden fire burning from Sam and I can't help but wonder how she could possibly be cold when it was so hot. Shaking my head to force myself out of _those_ thoughts, I start to lower myself onto the edge of the couch.

Sam chooses this moment to begin struggling, her annoyance getting the better of her. "Put me down, Fredison!" She protests, trying to get me to drop her by twisting around wildly. I quickly set her down against the back of the couch and lie down before she can push me off.

"There." I say, retrieving the plaid blanket off the floor and spreading it over her, trying not to linger but finding it impossible. "Now you can sleep." I say, reaching for the remote she had set down and flipping off the TV. It's extremely cramped to say the least, what with half of my body hanging of the couch. I try to scoot closer to Sam so that I'm more comfortable, but she stubbornly holds her spot, not letting me have any room. "Sam." I say, barely able to make out her face in the darkness. She pointedly keeps her gaze off of me, shifting under her blanket slightly. "C'mon Sam, I'm hanging off the edge here." I beg, trying to force her to look at me.

"I don't have any room, Fredweird!" Sam growls, throwing an elbow at my ribs that is meant to shut me up. I rub my side, glaring at her for her needless violence. She's ignoring me again and her eyes aren't even closed so she's obviously not going to sleep. Before she can react, I lift her a little and throw myself into the space it creates. Her head falls to my chest and there's only enough room for her to lie on her side now. We both freeze, me waiting for Sam to start whaling on me and Sam deciding what exactly my punishment should be. I can't see her face, and the silence stretches for an unbearably long until I can't take it anymore.

"So, do I make a good pillow?" I ask weakly, flinching when Sam moves around on my chest. Her head shifts upwards slightly and she settles herself deeper into me, resting one of her arms on my chest next to her head.

"You'll do." She says shortly, the weight of her head on my chest giving me the most amazing sense of calm. I can tell that she's still mad at me, so I try to use what little humor I have (I'm guy behind the camera, remember?) to make her laugh.

"Whew, good. What has the world possibly come to if a friend can't be a good pillow?" I tease, not getting the laugh I had hoped for. I can't see Sam's expression because her face is turned away, so I wait for her to respond with some insulting comeback to gauge her mood.

"If you wake up outside tomorrow, at least you'll know why." She was the only person I knew that could manage to threaten and pout at the same time. We're both silent now, but I can tell she's still not really trying to fall asleep. Her muscles are tense and she doesn't seem like she's going to be relaxing anytime soon. Hesitantly, I reach out and run my hand through her curls, startled at how soft and silky they are. Sam jumps, shifting with difficulty to look up at me in surprise. I feel my cheeks flush in embarrassment but manage to think of an excuse.

"I always wondered how your hair could be so soft if you never washed it." I say, desperately hoping she'll buy it. Judging by the offended look on her face, it works. Sam brings her fist down on my stomach and I groan in pain.

"I do to wash my hair!" Her glare switches to a lazy smirk before she continues. "At least I'm not like some nub that to sign a contract to prove that I wash and shampoo twice." Still scrambling for cover, I try to refute her sharp comeback.

"I don't have to do that anymore!" Lie. I had tried to get my mom to stop it when I was fifteen and she had added a clause to my contract saying that if I agreed to wear my helmet at all times than I wouldn't have to shampoo and condition twice. Needless to say, I hadn't taken her up on that. I try to shift the attention off of me, impulsively reaching out and gently running my hands through her curls again. Sam shudders, her tense muscles relaxing and forcing her down onto my chest even more. Goosebumps rise on my arms, but they don't have anything to do with cold. "So it's true?" I ask, my voice softer then I had intended. Sam looks up, distracted.

"What's true?" She asks, not even throwing the insult I had expected my way. I gently run my hands through her hair again, not missing her shudder and the added weight of her as she relaxes into me.

"Girls like it when you touch their hair. It's sort of an unconfirmed rumor that we guys have. Well…the ones without girlfriends." I explain, marveling in the almost calming effect it has on me to sit here and stroke her hair.

"It depends on the girl. Carly hates it when people touch her hair too much but I-." She pauses and I feel her take a deep breath before continuing. I stop, leaving my fingers in her hair until she says if she likes it or not. "I think it's nice." Sam says it as fast as humanly possible, embarrassed. "It depends on the guy too." She adds, tensing while she waits for my response. I smile in a moment of the simplest kind of bliss, moving my fingers in her hair again and the feeling of peace only growing stronger when Sam relaxes into my chest again.

"So, I'm guessing skeevy guys off the streets are out of the question?" I ask, trying to get a laugh out of her again. This time I succeed, gratified by the small chuckle that escapes Sam.

"Yep, you've been promoted from skeevy guy to only slightly creepy. You must be overjoyed, nub." She says sarcastically, poking my stomach and laughing for real now. I pull my hand away from her hair, shaking my head in amusement.

"Alright, alright enough insults at my expense. We both need to get some sleep." I say, surprised when Sam doesn't protest, only nodding in agreement before shifting her head to make herself more comfortable. She freezes suddenly, her body tensing in surprise when she rests her head over my heart. I hold my breath, waiting for the inevitable questions. Instead she only laughs, not moving her ear away and listening carefully. This continues for a few minutes, just Sam listening to my heart and my heart speeding up the longer she's close to me. I'm surprised when she finally speaks, already sounding half asleep.

"Are you nervous?" She asks, referring to the elephant in the room: the play opened in sixteen hours.

"Nope."

"Liar."

**So...what did you think? Let me know in a review! Next chapter's going to be a big one!**

**Special thanks to: Kpfan72491, seddieluver, ShortLittlePixie, wakawakababe, luktheduke, singstar29, Quinno96, AshesToAshes, CarlyToldRidgeway-Awesome, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, xx-SamxFreddie-xx, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, sarlovesoccer, MaggieTheUnicorn, Geekquality, LoonyMsLuna, leodoglover, Himura2323, InvaderZia, Lomie-Pumie, mirage888, iLoveNubsAndVampires, alwayssmiling11, Mardelzor, popcorn1001, Julefor, SeddieShortBus, Madame Opera Ghost, I'mMusicalMe, Fabina 4 Evahz, Katrina, Seddielovergrl, Mystapleza, bella3590, Omnistar, Hannah Cha, KressxBlack, iMaximumSeddie, coketree20, and S Benson! You guys (and girls) are the best!**

**TO WAKAWAKABABE: Next chapter will be the play and I'm still flipping back and forth between which scenes I should write, so I'll have to figure that out later.**

**TO ASHESTOASHES: Probably 10-15 chapters left, but that's just an estimate.**

**TO INVADERZIA: Thanks! I think Sam deserves Freddie too. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: More Alex Cooper in two or three chapters! **

**TO KATRINA: Ms. Esposito FTW! lol :)**

**TO HANNAH CHA: Probably 10-15 chapters left, but I'm not sure really. **

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and for all of your support. :D**


	70. Opening Night

**The play is finally here! Read on:**

Freddie POV 5:48AM Day 24

Now, don't get me wrong, I was pretty much knocked out. In fact, I hadn't slept this well in months. The only reason I woke up was because it sounded as if a wild animal was eating right next to my ear. I blink, colors swimming into focus as the animal took shape. It was Spencer, eating a bowl of cereal while he sat on the coffee table. He was pivoted towards me and I had a feeling that he had been watching us for a while.

"Spencer?" I ask, wiping the sleep out of eyes. There was a pressure on my chest that I half-recognized, but Spencer was the pressing issue.

It was all very incriminating. I was sharing a couch with Sam, one of my hands in her hair and most of her torso testing on top of or against me. There were a million things Spencer could have said or asked. Something along the lines of 'why are you sleeping in my house' or 'what were you and Sam doing last night'. At least, that's what I expected; it was what any _logical_ person would ask. Of course, I was dealing with Spencer.

"Doesn't your Mom check on you before she leaves for work?" Spencer asks, bringing another spoonful of cereal to his mouth. It takes a moment for that to register.

"Chiz!" After a minute of careful adjustments on my part, Sam was sleeping soundly on the couch, alone. "Thanks!" I say to Spencer, hustling out of the apartment.

Carly POV 12:38PM Day 24

"What's up with you two? Eat!" I say in frustration, pushing lunch trays in front of Freddie and Sam. They both slide them away, trading a look. "Seriously? Come on, since when do you turn down food, Sam? You need to eat too, Freddie." I insist, moving the trays back again. Sam and Freddie trade another loaded look, speaking in that infuriating telepathic way that they seem to have mastered.

"We can't." Freddie finally says, his eyes never leaving Sam.

"Why's that?" I ask in exasperation, wondering what I was missing. After a moment, I gag. "Oh no…did the lunch lady lose her hair net again? Oh my-."

"No, Carly!" Sam cuts in, shaking her head.

"Well, that's a relief, but what's going on then?" I ask, picking up my fork again. Sam and Freddie trade another look, glancing around our crowded table before leaning forward.

"I've never been this nervous in my life, Carls." Sam whispers. I suddenly see it: Sam and Freddie, who had absolutely no experience in drama, were the two leads in a long, tongue-twisting Shakespearean script and were opening to a full house, including a newspaper reporter and all of their friends. Not to mention that they couldn't let the other see any hint of their true feelings in one of the most infamously romantic plays of all time.

That _would_ do it.

"Say no more. You guys will be great, for what it's worth." I smile, reaching out and taking each of their hands. Sam and Freddie nod slightly, but I can tell they're still nervous beyond belief.

The bell rings, signaling the end of lunch. I give one more reassuring squeeze before releasing both of their hands and throwing the remainder of my lunch away. I catch their parting words when I go back to retrieve my bag.

"See you on stage, I guess." Sam says, her knuckles white as she clung to the strap of her backpack.

"I know you'll be amazing, Sam." Freddie chokes out, swallowing. He reaches out and rests his hand on her shoulder for a long beat before getting to his feet and taking a few steps in the direction of his next class.

"Benson." Freddie turns, startled. "Two words: breath mint."

I watch the terror fade for a second, replaced with identical smiles.

"Nice one, Puckett."

Then they turn on their heels and head in opposite directions.

Sam POV 4:48PM Day 24

"You know, your fidgeting isn't making my job any easier." The makeup artist says heatedly, annoyed.

"Whatcha got to bust her balls for, Jane?" Kayla puts in, looking up from her work. She'd spent the last half hour going through every one of the costumes she had designed, looking for flaws.

"We go on in ten minutes and she's not done!" Jane snaps, distressed.

"Don't you pay attention to her, you look pretty without the makeup." Kayla stage whispers, winking at the frazzled makeup artist.

"She doesn't need to look pretty, she needs to look perfect!" Jane fires back, glaring at Kayla.

I tune them out at this point. I'd spent the last two hours in successively horrible forms of punishment, all the while feeling the urge to puke out of sheer terror. Now, I'd made it to make up with, quite possibly, the biggest OCD freak I'd ever met in my life. Someone jostles my shoulder and I blink, reluctantly returning to reality.

"You're done, finally." Jane says, glancing at her phone. "Two minutes to show time, so you'd better go see Ms. Esposito now." She proceeds to shove me out the door, pointing in the direction Ms. Esposito would be. It was all too easy to find the tornado of energy that was our director.

"It is a slash, not a stab….yes, like that. Where is Capulet? I need to check his buttons, find him! What is happening? A touch-up on this set, my chicken….no, use red….no, not there, there."

Unfortunately, I wasn't spared.

"Juliet!" She hurries over to me, wading through the chaos. "How are you? Sick, yes? Good, good."

"How did you know that?" I ask in astonishment.

"It is good to feel a little unsettled before a performance! It keeps you on your toes. I have faith in you, Juliet. Let the character take you and it will be…" Ms. Esposito searches for the word, motioning her arm rapidly. "Ahh! It will be awe-inspiring." With a quick pat to my arm, Ms. Esposito delves into the chaos once more.

Suddenly, the orchestra pit begins to play a soft piece and the curtain starts to raise. It sounds an awful lot like a death march.

Carly POV 5:28PM Day 24

I had secured one of the best positions backstage, right at the edge of the curtain to watch the play from. My part had been relatively easy, to my relief. Sam and Freddie were on the verge of the scene they probably dreaded the most: the first kiss.

"Then move not while my prayer's effect I take. Thus from my lips, by thine my sin is purg'd."

Freddie finishes his line and the tension in the room is palpable, making you lean forward to watch the scene unfold. There's a slight hesitation as Sam looks down, refusing to meet Freddie's eyes. He seems to steel himself before reaching down to gently take Sam's chin in his hand, forcing her to look at him. Freddie leans down, closing his eyes before Sam can catch his gaze. There's another tense second of hesitation where everyone leans forward in their seats even farther, unable to break the spell.

Freddie's lips brush Sam's gently, pulling back slightly as they both absorb it. His eyes flicker open and Sam's eyes lock with his, some kind of heat flashing between them. Quicker than I would have thought possible, Sam reaches up and grips Freddie's collar. Simultaneously, Freddie wraps his arms around Sam's waist and pulls her into his chest. Almost like they practiced it, Sam jerks Freddie down at the exact same time that Freddie holds her even closer. Their lips meet again and it's one of those things where you couldn't look away, even if you wanted too. At the same time, it feels wrong to watch something so private, so intimate, so innocent, but also so _perfect_ that you still can't force yourself to look away. Their lips move slowly together, the opposite of the frenzied motion that most teenagers prefer. It was transfixing, as the dead silence attested.

Freddie's arms tighten around Sam's waist and, (I hadn't thought it was possible) he pulls her even closer to him. Sam's hands loosen on his collar and slide to wrap around Freddie's neck. The kiss holds me captive until they finally pull apart. I blink, noting the similar reaction from every other person in the theater. I couldn't tell you how long they had kissed; nor could anyone else in the room. We had all been caught in the moment with them. Freddie loosens his grip on Sam's waist, allowing her to pull away slightly but still keeping her close to him. Over the course of my life, I'd seen many people kiss. In high school, you could barely turn a corner without seeing a couple making out. I wasn't promiscuous, but I had kissed many boys in my life. I haven't ever seen anything close to this.

"Then have my lips the sin that they have took." Sam breathes the words into Freddie's face, barely audible to everyone else in the theater. Freddie's arms tighten around Sam's waist as he breathes her in, his eyes softening.

"Sin from my lips? O trespass sweetly urg'd! Give me my sin again." Freddie says, louder than Sam. He hadn't even finished the line when he begins to pull Sam closer. Sam, still a little shell shocked from all that had happened, eyes Freddie with a look that can only be described as…love. To everyone's surprise, he doesn't immediately pull her into a kiss. Instead he gently reaches out with both hands, one hand running through her hair and one hand trailing down her cheek. "Thou art beautiful." Freddie says, off script.

Sam, who's caught off guard, doesn't react to the feel of Freddie's lips on her own for a few seconds. Meanwhile, Freddie takes advantage of Sam's shock, bringing his hand from her hair and cradling her face in his hands. When Sam finally comes around, she grips the front of Freddie's shirt and yanks him closer. This kiss creates the same effect as the last one, forcing you to watch but making you feel guilty for doing so. Sam's grip on the front of Freddie's shirt loosens, her arms growing limp and sliding down his chest. Her hands continue to move under Freddie's arms, wrapping tightly around his waist so she can pull herself closer. Freddie responds, the slow and lingering movement of their lips halting as Sam finds a way to pull herself through nonexistent space, melting into Freddie. They pull away a miniscule inch, their eyes not opening until a few solid seconds as they seemingly try to breathe the other even more than they already had. Sam's eyes flicker open first, looking slightly dazed, but she manages to remember her line.

"You kiss by the book." She murmurs softly, her dazed stare never wavering from Freddie's face. Freddie kissed by the book? Dang, I _wanted _that book!

Someone brushes past me, her dreary gray dress combining with the work of the make-up artists to give her the appearance of a middle-aged woman. She darts through the various dancing couples, drawing closer to the secluded corner that Romeo and Juliet had taken refuge in. The crowd's focus reluctantly shifts to her, many peeking at her for the slightest second before returning their attention to the entangled couple on the opposite edge of the stage. The girl portraying Juliet's nurse looks this way and that, looking for some hint of her charge's whereabouts. Freddie slowly follows the next stage direction, shifting forward almost imperceptibly at first until his growing momentum carries Sam forward as well. Sam's eyes never waver from Freddie, both desperately clinging to the last seconds of paradise before reality hits. The dark-haired girl playing the nurse catches some hint of movement behind the grand tapestry, taking a hesitant step forward. Freddie continues gently propelling Sam forward until her back collides with the false stone wall, sending a shiver through the tapestry concealing them. The nurse sees the shiver in the tapestry and her pace quickens. Freddie leans forward in degrees, pinning Sam against the wall with increasing force until she reaches up and pulls him down to her level, their lips an inch apart when paradise is shattered.

"Madam, your mother craves a word with you." The steely voice of severe disapproval jerks the couple back to reality so quickly that I'm pretty sure they have whiplash. Freddie pushes away from Sam, his face coloring in embarrassment that was too genuine to be faked. Sam comes out of the moment more harshly than Freddie, her expression of tenderness quickly hardening to one of forced indifference after Freddie pushes away from her. She nods once to the nurse, glancing at Freddie for a long beat before exiting the tiny alcove and walking briskly across the stage to greet her 'mother'.

"What is her mother?" Freddie asks breathlessly, pushing aside the tapestry to follow Sam's progress across the stage.

"Marry, bachelor, Her mother is the lady of the house. And a good lady, and a wise and virtuous: I nurs'd her daughter that you talk'd withal; I tell you, he that can lay hold of her shall have the chinks." The girl's accent is well done, emphasizing her lowly status. Freddie freezes at her words, his hands tightening on the tapestry until his knuckles turn white. The nurse shoots him one last glance of scorn and disapproval before pushing through the tapestry. She emerges onto the dance floor, almost colliding with a revolving couple before hurrying over to rejoin her mistress.

"Is she a Capulet?" Freddie stage whispers, his gaze of horror at this understanding never leaving his beloved. "O dear account! My life-," Freddie halts, struggling for breath at the depth of his sorrow. I watch his 'acting' with increasing astonishment, the thought once again striking me that this kind of pain can't be faked. But was he really in love with Sam? "My life is my foe's debt."

That sounded about right.

**So...what did you think? Let me know in a review!**

**HUGE thanks to the incredibly awesome reviewers: Himura2323, seddieluver, wakawakababe, Geekquality, Kpfan72491, iLoveNubsAndVampires, Ashlee Seddie, sammmiilizziee, Em, popcorn1001, KressxBlack, mekaylawrotethis, Fabina 4 Evahz, Roselyn Weasley, Lyllian CK, AshesToAshes, luktheduke, Mike2101, soultaker97, Intemporel, PurpleMouseFurGomez, leodoglover, veeheart914, InvaderZia, LoonyMsLuna, sarlovessoccer, alwayssmiling11, Seddielovergrl, Katrina, SeddieShortBus, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, MaggieTheUnicorn, mirage888, Mardelzor, Iloveseddie, Quinno96, NostalgicHamster16, IamMu-chan, NinjahGirl, Omnistar, coketree20, I'mMusicalMe, iPeppyCola, Hannah Cha, Julefor, mari13ssa, rachim4, EllyWrites, bluemystique, singstar29, PKayKay23, Name, RoxyCat812, and icecoffee18! **

**TO WAKAWAKABABE: I actually had a lot of this chapter planned out and wasn't able to fit your scene suggestion in, even though it was a great idea. Sorry about that, but thanks for taking the time to think that up! :)**

**TO EM: To be honest, I got a little bored writing the same mushy phrases chapter after chapter and I figured the readers would be able to fill in the blanks after I've done it for so long. This chapters is a little bit of a return to my previous style, so I hope you liked it. **

**As for your three opinions, one is a little close to what happens this chapter but I've got something much different planned. Thanks for your well-thought out feedback, I appreciate the time it must have took. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: Glad you liked it! I updated on Saturday night last week (and this week) because I'm really busy this month with school and family. It's going to calm down in a few weeks though.**

**TO ASHESTOASHES: Should I write more play scenes?**

**TO INVADERZIA: I LOVE writing flirty banter and Seddie is the perfect couple for it! :)**

**TO KATRINA: Hmmm...Sam warmed up to Freddie in this chapter. xD**

**TO ILOVESEDDIE: I love Seddie too! I update every Saturday.**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: So, the play's finally open! What did you think?**

**TO HANNAH CHA: I've only had braids once in my life and I didn't like it very much...I guess I'll just be keeping my hair straight. xD **

**TO PKAYKAY23: At this point, it's only going to be chapters on Saturday. In a few weeks, I might do a week where there are four or five chapters, but it depends if I have time to write them all or not. :)**

**TO NAME: Thanks so much! Hope you liked this chapter just as much as last chapter. :)**

**TO ROXYCAT812: It won't take me six months to finish. My goal is to finish early July or late June, so just hang in there a little longer! :)**

**Thanks for all of the support, especially the reviews. The best readers on all of fanfiction are reading this right now! :D**


	71. Just A Few Questions

**Wow! Last chapter got _72 reviews! _I can't even put into words how awesome you all are...**

Carly POV 6:00PM Day 24

A crowd of actors and actresses strained behind me with bated breath, watching the progress on the stage with rapt attention. I can't say that I wasn't transfixed by the sight before me.

"Good-even to my ghostly confessor." Sam greets Friar Lawrence, inclining her head slightly. Her eyes were already fixed on Freddie, as if the distraction of curtseying to the Friar was too much with such a person in the room.

"Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both." Ryan, the guy portraying Friar Lawrence, says, chuckling under his breath. Freddie steps forward, catching the edge of Sam's silk dress. He's smiling in such a happy-go-lucky doofus way, but, oddly, it's the sweetest thing that I've ever seen. I don't miss how Sam cracks into an identical smile the second she looks at Freddie. He pulls her in, pressing his lips to her forehead before moving to her lips. They pull away after several seconds and are silent for so long that I'm sure they've forgotten that there was another living body in the room. Yet the audience remains deathly quiet, as do the actors and actresses squished behind me as they wait for the return of Romeo and Juliet.

"As much to him, else is his thanks too much." Sam says. She doesn't give Freddie time to kiss her; she tugs him down to her level and takes care of that herself. I laugh under my breath, wondering at how much of themselves Sam and Freddie had put into their characters. Sam pulls away, eyes closed, and Freddie inhales deeply. Reluctantly, Freddie detaches himself from Sam and he speaks his next line haltingly, his eyes never wavering from Sam's.

"Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy be heap'd like mine, and that thy skill be more to blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath this neighbour air, and let rich music's tongue unfold the imagin'd happiness that both receive in either by this dear encounter." A smile tugs at Freddie lips as he offers his arm and Sam struggles not to roll her eyes.

"Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, Brags of his substance, not of ornament: They are but beggars that can count their worth; but my true love is grown to such excess, I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth." Sam says, taking Freddie's arm and allowing him to lead her towards the Friar.

"Come, come with me, and we will make short work; for, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone till holy church incorporate two in one." Ryan says, shaking his head in amusement. He leads the couple inside of the church doors, brandishing a Bible.

The curtain drops for intermission just as they step inside the doors and thunderous applause echoes throughout the theater. The crowd behind me gradually disperses, murmuring amongst themselves, and I finally make my way to Sam's dressing room. I hesitate, knocking as I slowly swung the door open. Sam was sitting in front of her mirror, drinking a bottle of water.

"Hey, Sam." I approach slowly, as if Sam were a wild animal, and wait for a response.

"Carls." She clears her throat, chugging the water.

"So, how was it? How are you doing?" I ask, settling on the couch closest to her chair.

"I-." Sam stops, staring at herself in the mirror. "It's halfway done for tonight and that's what's important."

"You want it to be over so quickly? Isn't it even a little fun? C'mon Sam, you know it's kind of fun."

"I just want it to be over." It seemed like she wanted to say more, but she took another drink of water before she could. We sat in silence for a few minutes. I didn't believe that Sam just wanted the play to be over. She was enjoying it, reveling in it, on stage but, off stage, she seemed to get caught up in whatever was holding her back from admitting that she liked (or maybe even loved) Freddie.

"The play must have restarted by now." I put in a few minutes later, rising to leave. Sam shakes her head.

"I don't have to go on yet. Romeo has to kill Tybalt first."

"You don't want to watch?"

"No. Why would I want to watch _that_?"

"I…I don't think I understand." I admit. Sam turns to me, her eyes burning.

"This is where it all goes wrong. Romeo and Juliet weren't ready for each other anyway, but this is when all hope is lost. This is when the story becomes a tragedy."

Freddie POV 8:00PM Day 24

"Just a few more questions, I promise." Alex Cooper, the reporter, assures me before glancing back at his notes. "Now, this is your first drama production, correct?"

"My first as an actor. I did a few things behind the scenes in middle school." I answer automatically, my mind a million miles away.

"Would you say that you're a natural talent? Or is it a product of your hard work?" Tough question, considering neither of the answers he'd provided was true.

"I'd have to say that I felt a real connection to the character and that our director, Ms. Esposito, really helped me improve along the way." It wasn't a complete lie, I was just…editing.

"Alright, one more question. How do you feel about your costar, Sam Puckett?" He asks, pen poised for my response. My heart accelerates and a weight settles on my chest.

"Can you repeat the question?" I ask, sweat forming on my brow.

"How do you feel about your costar, Sam Puckett?" He repeats slowly. "You're best friends, right?"

"Oh." I chuckle, relieved. It wasn't the question I was sure he had been asking. "That's….difficult. We hated each other when we first met, but we're both friends with Carly—you know, Rosaline?—and she kind of mediated, I guess." I shut my mouth before I can continue.

"I can't help but notice that you used the past tense. Is there anything you'd like to say about your present relationship with Sam Puckett?" He asks, pretending like he was giving me a way out when, in fact, he was forcing an answer out of me. I had to say _something_.

"I think that the play has brought us closer and I really hope that it isn't temporary." I say, looking down at my shoes. Alex's pen scratches across his notebook and I'm fairly certain I've never heard a louder sound in my life. Finally, Alex looks up and flashes me a smile.

"You've been very helpful, Freddie. The article will be out the day after tomorrow." He rises, shaking my hand. On his way out of my dressing room, I call out to him.

"Are you interviewing Sam and Carly?"

"That's where I'm going right now."

I couldn't figure out what was so unsettling about Alex's abrupt departure. It was probably just my imagination.

Sam POV 8:15PM Day 24

"Nice to see you again, Sam." Alex Cooper proffers his hand and I shake it reluctantly. I just want to go home. Go home and remind myself exactly why I couldn't do this. Alex shakes hands with Carly before seating himself on the couch opposite us. "So, let's get started!" He pulls out a notepad and the click of his pen forces me back to the present. "What was your favorite part of putting on this production?" He asks, looking between Carly and I.

"I loved getting to know the drama department. Ms. Esposito was really great too." Carly answers after a moment, turning her gaze over to me when she finished. There's a long pause where I debate upon which lie to tell.

"The sword fighting was amazing. I'm considering taking up fencing." I lie through my teeth, my face perfectly blank and unassuming. Alex scribbles furiously and I feel Carly's astonishment burning a hole in the side of my head.

"How has being so close, in terms of familiarity, to the male lead affected your performances?" The room seems to shrink and it takes me a minute to figure out that he's talking about Freddie.

"Your turn, Sam." Carly says, finishing whatever her answer had been.

"It hasn't changed a thing. Out on stage, he's Romeo and I'm Juliet and what we do doesn't mean a thing." My throat tightens and I feel a very real surge of accomplishment when my voice doesn't crack.

"One more question, girls. How do you take your character off of Shakespeare's pages and breathe life into them?" I feel like the wind had been knocked out of me. It was impossible to answer this question without betraying myself.

"Rosaline never actually had any lines in Shakespeare's _Romeo and Juliet_, so I molded myself after what I imagine most boys' first crushes to be. Romeo fell for Rosaline but he forgot all about her when he met Juliet." Carly speaks as fast as she can and I can't help but think that she's waiting for my answer just as much as Alex is.

"Juliet is….I mean, I think she is…." My throat closes and I force myself to take a deep breath before continuing. "Juliet is the wrong girl at the wrong time." Alex and Carly wait, as if I'm going to say more. I reluctantly continue. "She's not a bad person; impulsive, maybe. If she hadn't been a Capulet or Romeo hadn't been a Montague, she was sure that everything would have been perfect. 'A rose by any other name would smell as sweet', right? The only real problem with Juliet is that she's naive. She banked everything on her love for Romeo and she lost everything because of it. Juliet should have been able to see that going all or nothing with Romeo risked his life just as much as it risked her life."

"Are you suggesting that Juliet shouldn't have acted on her love for Romeo? That she should have turned him away when he called up to her balcony?" Alex finally asks, breaking the dead silence.

"I'm only pointing out that Juliet should have had the strength to place the safety of someone she loved above personal fulfillment." I respond, my voice monotone.

"Do you really think Romeo would have given up so easily?" Alex questions, an eyebrow raised.

"If Romeo knew that Juliet loved him back, but she still refused to accept his proposal, then I think it would come down to a battle of wills."

"Who would have win?"

"I don't know."

Those were the scariest three words that I'd ever uttered in my life.

Alex Cooper POV 8:50PM Day 24

I was alone outside Sam's dressing room, looking over my notes with increasing excitement. If I could pull this off, this would be the story that changed my life. Finally, after several long minutes, I put away my notes and stood up. The story needed more to back it up or it would never stand up to skeptics. A skidding sound catches my attention and I watch a phone slide across the floor, propelled by my foot.

"What's this?"

I pick up the phone and open it, looking for some form of contact information.

The screen opens to something that I find _very _interesting.

I feel my lips sliding into an uncontrollable grin.

"Goodbye, student loans."

**So...what did you think? Let me know in a review!**

**Youtuber IamMuchan7 made a trailer for iShakespeare so, if you get the chance, go check it out!**

**Special thanks to: wakawakababe, The Donut Eater, leodoglover, Intemporel, Gabsikle, LoveHateSucker, Geekquality, seddie379437, Kpfan72491, CarlyToldRidgeway-Awesome, iPeppyCola, sammiilizziee, luktheduke, seddieluver, Quinno96, bluemystique, popcorn1001, Cati, mekaylawrotethis, Some Witty Name, losing nemo 54, Alice Rose Winter, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, NinjahGirl, singstar29, AndySaysTed, Ashlee Seddie, mirage888, lorkay, EllyWrites, PartyPooper845, sid, Hannah Cha, coketree20, rachim4, Anon, ShortLittlePixie, Virgoleo23, HugsandBugsSmileyface, Mardelzor, InvaderZia, Mike2101, Seddielovergrl, Elise Suzanne, mari13ssa, hollypop7, iLoveNubsAndVampires, Omnistar, justjb, Plant Love Grow Peace, soultaker97, Ary911, Mistymoozer, Anonymous, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, October103, seddieseddieseddie53, LoonyMsLuna, Fabina 4 Evahz, Name, Aapp, AshesToAshes, Julefor, Stolie Silver, IamMu-chan, SeddiexTwilight, veeheart914, KressxBlack, bella3590, isinkintohearts, Anonymous 2, Himura2323, sincerely broken, and iMaximumSeddie! The best reviewers on all of fanfiction! **

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: From this chapter, you should be able to see that things aren't going to be quite what they seem the next few chapters. :)**

**TO CATI: I know how school can be, no worries! I have a good idea of what's going to happen next chapter, but it still needs some tweaking. :)**

**TO SOME WITTY NAME: Wow, thanks! As sad as it sounds, it's an amazing compliment to hear that someone is actually losing sleep over your story! xD**

**TO LOSING NEMO 54: Haha, you got me! I was all geared up for a flame review, lol! More Sam & Freddie POV next chapter!**

**TO SID: Aww, thanks! I really enjoyed reading _Romeo and Juliet_, but my favorite Shakespeare is probably _Julius Caesar. _:)**

**TO HANNAH CHA: I haven't updated my favorites in forever because I've been so busy. :'( jk, jk...but I still need to update them more.**

**TO ANON: The real aftermath of the scenes from last chapter and last chapter will be in the next few chapers...just wait! :D**

**TO INVADERZIA: Glad you enjoyed last chapter so much! :)**

**TO ARY911: Haha, I love writing for Wendy's gossip girls! **

**TO ANONYMOUS: Thanks! *copies awesome dance***

**TO SEDDIESEDDIESEDDIE53: I'm trying to end iShakespeare before July, but we'll see how it goes. :)**

**TO FABINA 4 EVAHZ: The apocalypse must indeed be coming for Sam to deny food! xD **

**TO NAME: It's awesome to hear that you like later chapters better then the first chapters; that's what everyone writer wants! :D**

**TO AAPP: New chapter every Saturday, usually Saturday night.**

**TO ASHESTOASHES: I have a plan for the next few chapters and I think the readers will all like it. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS 2: Aww, thanks! Hope you liked this chapter!**

**Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	72. She's Already Gone

**If you haven't seen the promo for iLost My Mind go see it. Now. I'll wait. iShakespeare will wait. Just go see it. Seriously.**

Sam POV 8:50PM Day 24

"I want to go home." It took Carly a moment to realize that I didn't mean her apartment. With exaggerated calm, Carly takes a deep breath before proceeding.

"Sam, let's think about this. It's totally your decision, but let's think about this." Carly and I had both stopped on the front steps of Ridgeway and I reluctantly let in the voice of reason. "Your mom is still upset about him, isn't she?" My chest tightens and I feel sick. "Maybe it would be best for you to stay away from all of that for a little while longer." But that was exactly why I needed to see my mother: to remind myself what reality felt like as it crashed down on you.

Part of me, the logical part—the part no one thought existed—had compromised on many things in the past, but it put its foot down here. A larger part of me than I care to admit was weightless, floating in a dream that I wished would never end. The logical part insisted that it was best to return to reality before I woke up and crashed back down to Earth. Stupid Benson.

"I'll call Spencer while you think about it." Carly says quietly. I didn't pay her any attention until Carly let out an audible gasp. "It was here, I swear!" Before I could ask what was going on, Carly dumped the entire contents of her purse onto Ridgeway's front steps.

"What are you doing?" I ask, kneeling next to Carly as she desperately combs through the contents of her purse.

"You don't think I lost it, do you?" She mumbles, almost to herself, as she flung a tube of lip gloss straight at my face. I duck, equal parts annoyed and confused.

"What the hell is going on?" I ask, louder this time. Carly doesn't even shoot me a look of disapproval for my profanity, inspecting the last few items from her purse. Whatever she was looking for failed to materialize and my best friend's shallow breaths became laced with expletives. That was when I really knew something was wrong. "Carls-." I wait for her to look at me before continuing. "What did you lose?"

"My phone." Carly says it like she'd just been diagnosed with terminal cancer.

"Put this in perspective for a second, Carly. Your need to be in contact with Griffin twenty-four hours a day isn't really all that important. The theater's all locked up for the night, so no one's going to find your phone, alright? We'll look for your phone tomorrow morning and, if we can't find it, then you can get a new one." I can't help but laugh a little at Carly's extreme reaction; boy crazy, as per usual. Carly and I returned everything to her purse—she remained silent—and I called Spencer to pick us up.

"Did you decide, Sam?" Carly asks, referring to my proposed trip home. I stare at the empty parking lot for a long time before answering.

"I won't go back tonight." I finally answer, my voice unnaturally soft. A little longer in this dream couldn't hurt anymore then it would in the end.

"I think that's what's best." Carly wants to say more and finally, after a few minutes, she does. "Are you going to see Freddie tonight?" It was so blunt, so unCarlylike, that I was lost for words. She struggles to fill the silence. "It's okay if you are, you know. More than okay." I can't quite figure out what she means.

"Why would I see him tonight?" I ask. Carly shrugs helplessly, smiling.

"That's really up to you, isn't it?"

Freddie POV 2:28AM Day 25

I don't know if it was a shift in the atmosphere or the silent scuff of bare feet on carpet that woke me up. Either way, it was two words that _really_ woke me up.

"You lied."

My immediate reaction to Sam Puckett in my bedroom in the middle of the night saying that I had lied to her? I'm not going to lie: terror. What horrible revenge was she about to extract upon me? I shot up into a sitting position, tangled in the covers, and squint around the room.

"S-Sam?" I croak, swallowing to clear my throat. A light flicks on at the opposite edge of my room, illuminating Sam in one of my leather swivel chairs.

"Sorry. Were you expecting someone else?" She raises an eyebrow, staring me down.

"Of course I wasn't expecting anyone else. It's the middle of the night!" I whisper, stopping to listen. No sound from my Mom's room, thankfully.

"Well, my fellow insomniac, you've woken me so many times in the last month that I thought I'd return the favor." Sam raises her voice on purpose, turning to face the hallway so the sound would be louder. I tore out of my bed without any thought but the consequences if my Mom were to catch me with Sam Puckett in my room in the dead of night.

A few seconds later, I realize that I had grabbed Sam from behind, covering her mouth with my palm, and pulled her back tightly to my chest. I froze. So did Sam. No sound from my mother's room. Sam licks my hand and I pull it away from her mouth quickly, before she can bite me. "Bummer. It would have been fun to watch your mom freak out a little. Let me go before I catch any more of your nub germs."

"Uh, sure." My face was burning. "So, what was that about me being a liar?" I whisper, desperate to escape any suspicions Sam may have.

"You said your mom got a new security system. She didn't." She still doesn't bother to keep her voice down, but at least she isn't intentionally trying to wake my mom up.

"Ah." What an intelligent response. Sam sits down in the chair again, expectant. "Well…you see…it may seem the same, but it's different."

"You're lying. Since when do you have the balls to lie to me, Benson?" I'm terrified, of course, but I can't help but notice an undercurrent in Sam's voice. It sounded like…no...no, it couldn't be. Pride? Was she proud of me?

"I _did _learn from the best." Sam taps her fingers on the arm of her chair, swiveling back and forth as she considers this.

"I don't think flattery is going to get you out of this one. Tell me the truth." Her eyes focused on me and I couldn't have lied, even if I wanted to…which I didn't.

"I told you I couldn't get back into my apartment because you needed to sleep and it was the only way I could make sure you did. You had to be ready for your big night. It would've been kind of a bad thing if Juliet fell asleep when she was fake dead and refused to wake up. Kind of a mood killer." Sam laughs, as I had hoped for, and I join in. She was stunning when she laughed and my skin teemed with the warmth only an afternoon in the sunshine could bring. The laugher died eventually, even if I wished it would go on forever, and my heart started to pound in my chest. Should I say something? Yes, of course, but what? Something about how weird it was that I loved that she could pick locks? How I thought that she was the funniest person I'd ever met? I clear my throat.

"You were great tonight, by the way." Sam looks up, startled. This was taboo. "Everybody loved you." _Me most of all._

"If they loved me, then they adored you. Just wait. Tomorrow, girls will be throwing themselves at your feet." Sam chokes out, as if the words were strangling her. It was one of the few times she'd ever given me a genuine compliment. That made it worth more to me than any other compliment I'd ever received. Silence stretched between us and I lost myself in a staring contest. "I should go." Sam finally says, rising.

"You don't have to." _Please don't._

She was gone before I even finished my sentence.

Carly POV 9:48AM Day 25

I couldn't find my phone anywhere. I'd cut class to search every nook and cranny of the theater, but it was gone. I'd never felt like such a horrible person in all my life, and that was before Wendy found me.

"You've been dodging me, Shay." I jump up from the seats I had been looking under, turning to face Wendy.

"Dodging? That's kind of a strong word, I think." Wendy was without her little crew of followers, for once. It immediately occurred to me that they could be watching us.

"Oh, really? Because I don't." Yep, Wendy was pissed. As if I didn't feel horrible enough already, she was trying to make me feel guilty.

"Look, don't you get it?" I yell, taking out every ounce of my frustration on her. "You lost, Wendy! Game over! Nothing you did brought Sam and Freddie together, so now they're doing it on their own! Ask any kid at Ridgeway and they'll tell you that Sam and Freddie are already together! You failed spectacularly and I've never been happier about something in my life. Just leave me and my friends alone!" I stop, out of breath, and back off of Wendy slightly.

"Is that all?" Wendy asks, barely keeping her cool.

"I'm done." I say, backing away. Wendy studies me for a minute before storming out of the theater.

"This isn't over, Shay!"

Alex Cooper POV 4:00PM Day 25

"Sir, I've got your front page story." I drop my finished product on Mr. Hall's desk, a smug smile plastered on my face.

"You already look like enough of a jackass without trying to, Cooper. Wipe that grin off of your face." He fires back, scowling at me. I struggle not to laugh.

"Don't worry, this is my final piece for this particular newspaper." Mr. Hall cocks his head, sure he hadn't heard me correctly. "I've already got a dozen job offers lined up and I fully expect the number to rise when everyone sees my story tomorrow."

"You're a cocky bastard, aren't you? Who says I'll run this, anyway?" He waves my story in my face and I smirk.

"You can't afford not to run it. It's gold. Those job offers I talked about? They're from the newspapers that I've sent excerpts of this story too." I've never felt better in my life and the best part is that Mr. Hall was even starting to doubt himself now. He skims the story, his eyebrows rising until they finally reach his receding hairline.

"This is bad business, Cooper." Mr. Hall throws my story back on his desk. "I can't print this." My smile fades.

"What do you mean?" I ask, my confidence abandoning me.

"Something tells me that my readers won't take kindly to one of my writers destroying three teenagers. Did you really have to cite it like that?" Mr. Hall shakes his head. "I'm not in the business of morals, but this is going too far."

"I'm not destroying three teenagers, Mr. Hall. I'm destroying iCarly." Mr. Hall stares back at me blankly. "These kids have a web show called iCarly, remember? It gets almost a million viewers from around the world and that number is steadily rising. Let me tell you what happens if you print this story: your newspaper will be the hottest commodity in all of Seattle, all of the United States. Why? We allow the newspapers to circulate and, once one kid in a school has it, every kid has to have it. It'll spread like wildfire; you know how kids are. We run out of newspapers and I blog about the story. Boom! Now it's online and every kid across the world has access to it. This newspaper becomes famous for exposing the iCarly kids and you retire a rich man."

I stop, flustered with excitement. Mr. Hall narrows his eyes, thinking.

"Go on." He says. That's all I need.

"Want to know why you're so rich? Not only are you getting all of that fame from my story, but you're also selling that edition of the newspaper like crazy. Plus, I'll throw in ten percent profit for what comes next." He nods knowingly, raising his glasses to rest on his chin.

"Why am I getting ten percent of your personal profits for what comes next?" Mr. Hall asks, playing along. I rise, extending a hand.

"For teaching me to be the morally repugnant opportunist I am today."

He smiles, the first I've ever seen, and shakes my hand before sending me off with his blessing.

**So...what did you think? Let me know in a review!**

**Special thanks to: Kpfan72491, ShortLittlePixie, bluemystique, StarBolt7, Geekquality, Himura2323, Elise Suzanne, StrawberryCrush, london101, sammiilizziee, wakawakababe, AshesToAshes, Mistymoozer, Quinno96, The Donut Eater, popcorn1001, Mike2101, Em, sarlovesoccer, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, October103, singstar29, soultaker97, mirage888, seddieluver, LoonyMsLuna, Stolie Silver, luktheduke, g, Plant Love Grow Peace, leodoglover, OnAMission, InvaderZia, EmilyHelene, Macy, bella3590, CarlyToldRidgeway-Awesome, Surf, xBeckyBooHerex, iMaximumSeddie, Nerdlovr33, SeddieShortBus, Zikki 4 Evahz, Smiles, lucywatson, iLoVeSeDdiE12, RaintheCriminalWhirlwind, IDubTHeeSEDDIE, Mardelzor, coketree20, alwayssmiling11, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, theofficialseddiefan, Hannah, Teresa Parnow, AVeryPotterFangirl, Lysha, wolflover, and 8D SerenityCrystal Tear83! You guys (and girls) are awesome and I appreciate all of the support! :D**

**TO LONDON101: Hope this chapter lived up to the wait! My goal is to be a writer, so that means a lot, thanks!**

**TO WAKAWAKABABE: Next chapter will address more of Sam/Freddie during the play and I'll sure to tie up those loose ends before iShakespeare ends.**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Thanks! Next chapter will be more of the aftershock from Alex Cooper too.**

**TO EM: I'm trying to get to the point where I can publish five or six chapters for the finale, but we'll see. Thanks for reading. :)**

**TO G: Thanks so much! Alex Cooper isn't up to anything good, unfortunately. Just wait and see!**

**TO INVADERZIA: Sam and Freddie will work out...eventually. :)**

**TO MACY: Haha, thanks! This chapter came out kinda late, hope you didn't stay up late to read it! :)**

**TO SURF: Sam fainting during an iCarly episode? It depends why she's fainting...nothing serious!**

**TO NERDLOVER33: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAHZ: Romeo and Juliet is really good, hope you enjoy reading it! Thanks! :)**

**TO SMILES: Aww, thanks! :D**

**TO HANNAH: Congrats on getting an account and happy belated birthday! Hope you liked this chapter! :D**

**TO TERESA PARNOW: There are probably about fifteen chapters of iShakespeare left. :)**

**TO LYSHA: Thanks! Happy almost birthday! :)**

**TO WOLFLOVER: Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoyed it! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks for reading and remember to review! :D**


	73. A White Dress

**New chapter! Enjoy and pay VERY close attention! )**

Sam POV 6:00PM Day 25

I've never been the type of girl that spends countless hours imagining what her wedding would look like. Melanie, on the other hand, already knew what color scheme (navy blue and silver) and flowers (blue hydrangeas and white roses) she would pretend to decide on at the last possible second—she insisted that a good wedding planner would work around her. Of course, Melanie's plans for a picture perfect wedding were ruined when there was no one left to walk her up the aisle. It was only within the deepest recesses of my consciousness that I was able to admit to myself that the only part of my wedding I'd ever envisioned could never take place, now that he was gone.

Maybe I would just never marry. That would solve a lot of my problems. Hell, that would solve a lot of _anyone's_ problems.

Yet, here I was. A few hundred of my closest friends had come tonight, probably because of the rave reviews that had circulated around town with startling speed. It would probably be even worse tomorrow, after the newspaper article was published.

I glance over to my side, whipping my head back when I was confronted by the tuxedo once more. Ms. Esposito had even instructed the costume designers to put a flower in the buttonhole of the tuxedo—a white rose. I guess the designers couldn't find anything less clichéd, but something tells me that they hadn't really tried. For weeks before the play, Ms. Esposito and the costume designers had fought over what I should wear to my "wedding". The designers had wanted something more…provocative…and Ms. Esposito had been dead set on a more traditional dress. To be honest, I could care less. I would be fighting with all my might to be a different person anyway and what Juliet wore to her wedding was none of my concern.

So why was I making a promise to myself that, if I did ever get married, I was going to wear this dress? It was beautiful; an idiot could see that, but plenty of wedding dresses were beautiful. I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

"Romeo shall thank thee, daughter, for us both."

A hand, a warm hand, rests on my arm and I slowly raise my eyes to _him._ If I can't convince myself it's Romeo, I won't give myself the satisfaction of calling him by name. Wasn't it odd that brown could be either scorching or soothing? I'd stopped believing that brown was boring and drab, no matter how long I had believed it. Was it just _him_ or had I been wrong about something else for the majority of my life? He raises his hand to graze my face lightly, pulling me in. His lips were soft on mine and my stomach tightened in response, wanting more. Before I quite knew what was happening, my hand was resting on his shoulder and he was close, very close. My eyes close of their own accord and I can't form a solid thought. Many would assume that I would gain some measure of tolerance to _him _after some point, but I just wasn't. It was like I forgot exactly what it felt like kissing Freddie until I was actually kissing him, never wanting to breathe again. _He_ breaks away first, pulling one of his hands from my waist to cover his microphone. He was even more out of breath than I was.

"As much to him, else is his thanks too much." I say, pulling him down once more. He returns his hand to my waist, offering a crook in his arm for me to settle my head into. It was easy, too easy, for me to offer passion for _him._ For about the thousandth time, I wonder what he was thinking, who he was imagining in my place. Then I lost my train of thought. Again.

When I become semi-functional again, I pull away for a deep breath. I was smiling like an idiot. This revelation didn't bother me a bit, for some odd reason.

"Ah, Juliet, if the measure of thy joy be heap'd like mine, and that thy skill be more to blazon it, then sweeten with thy breath this neighbour air, and let rich music's tongue unfold the imagin'd happiness that both receive in either by this dear encounter." Of course, if I was smiling like an idiot, then _he_ was smiling like an imbecile. That thought, along with afterglow, made for a very happy Sam Puckett.

"Conceit, more rich in matter than in words, brags of his substance, not of ornament: they are but beggars that can count their worth; but my true love is grown to such excess, I cannot sum up sum of half my

wealth." My smile fades as I repeat the line from memory, honestly contemplating the boy before me. He stares back, but I'm too caught up in my unsettling connection to the line to really focus. I was still in the crook of his arm, a hand on his shoulder and another at his waist. He didn't move. I didn't move. Friar Lawrence talked.

"Come, come with me, and we will make short work; gor, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone till holy church incorporate two in one." The Friar declares, pulling both of us towards the false church doors. I slide out of _his _arms, never looking away, and he offers his arm. I accept, as the stage directions demanded, and we move through the doors. Thankfully, there was no actual ceremony in the play, but Ms. Esposito had purposely left an intermission at this point. It gave the audience time to imagine what the wedding had looked like. Thunderous applause brings me crashing back to the present and I blink, dropping _his_ arm and walking away without a word.

I hate him. I _hate _him. Why did the tech nerd I emasculated on a regular basis have the power to make me feel like such a girl? God, I hate him.

I slam the door of my dressing room shut behind me, desperately wishing it had a lock, and collapse onto the couch. The ceiling was white. I looked down. So was my dress.

I was in deeper then I had ever imagined.

Spencer POV 8:30PM Day 25

"So, what do you think?" I ask after a solid minute of dead silence. My new sculpture, the giant hummingbird that had come to me in my vision last week, was finally finished. I'd spent hours painstakingly digging through photo albums and searching the iCarly site for the best pictures of Carly, Sam, and Freddie's friendship through the years. After that, Socko and Gibby had helped me choose which pictures were best and I'd glued them onto every inch of the hummingbird. There were probably at least three thousand pictures.

"I…wow…just wow, Spence!" Carly finally says, giving me a big hug before circling around the sculpture to inspect more of the pictures. "This is the best sculpture ever! Who's the best big brother ever?"

"Me." I reply sheepishly. All of the work had been worth it. I turn to Sam and Freddie, noting the identical expressions of dull shock on their faces. "What's up, you two? Don't you like it?" I ask, hurt.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Carly puts in, looking between Sam and Freddie.

"Is that...?" Sam trails off.

"…a hummingbird?" Freddie finishes.

"A hummingbird with moments from your friendship!" I exclaim, throwing my arms in the air. Sam and Freddie didn't move. "Like here." I point at a picture on the hummingbird's beak. "This is a screenshot from your first ever iCarly. I'm pretty sure it's Sam calling Freddie a dork, but you'd have to look back at the video. Oh, this one's awesome!" I gesture at one of the hummingbird's wings. "It's you three on Carly's couch in her new room. That was right after the big reveal." I make a noise of disgust before pointing at the next picture. "This one is of Jackson Colt posing with you three and my unconscious body. Hmm…I like this one better." I point at the picture on the hummingbird's eye. "You three with Fred in his tree house…I don't know why Freddie looks like that or why Sam's holding a tennis racket." I chuckle before pointing out another. "This is you three duck taped to chairs. I'm still not sure why you were on the ground when I got home."

"This is amazing, Spencer." Carly says, hugging me again. Sam and Freddie have started to move, at least. They were studying the pictures carefully, shaking their heads at some and laughing at others. I slowly back away, sitting down on the stairs while the three best friends watched their friendship grow before their eyes. It was at least a half hour later when they stopped looking and hugged each other tightly. Maybe they were thinking about college and how they were finishing junior year. Maybe they were thinking about how they had grown so much in such a short time. Maybe they were thinking that they would always be friends, no matter what. Maybe they were marveling that they had remained friends for so long.

"I can't believe how much of a geek you are, Benson. No wonder I hated you so much." Sam comments, shaking her head at one of Freddie in his Galaxy Wars bedroom. He was in casts, posing with both of the girls a few days after he had saved Carly's life.

"Hated? Are you going soft on me, Puckett?" Freddie asks, bumping her shoulder playfully. Sam punches his shoulder.

"You wish! I've been thinking of all these awesome pranks to pull on you once this stupid play is over. Just wait, diphthong." Freddie pales, backing off.

"I didn't mean it, I take it back!"

And so the conversation continued for quite some time. Nobody could bicker like Sam and Freddie could.

Out of the blue, the house phone rings and Carly grabs it before I can. Most people just called us on our cell phones, so something seemed off.

"Hello?" Carly answers, cheery enough. The sound of a voice on the line brings a frown to her face.

"What do you want?" She asks, uncharacteristically sour. Sam and Freddie were sitting on the couch, looking blankly at the hummingbird before them.

"No, I didn't get it. Wait…a picture message? What was the picture?" Carly sounds slightly panicked now, frozen in place.

"No." She whispers. "How did you get that?" She seems to notice me, Sam, and Freddie for the first time and takes the call outside the front door. She returns a few seconds later, flustered.

"I didn't tell you I lost my phone, did I?" She addresses me, ashamed.

"No, you didn't. Our phone contract is renewed in two weeks though, so I guess we can get you another one then." I say, trying to be cool about it. I'd lost plenty of things in my day…plus my favorite fake mustache only this morning.

"Thanks, Spence." She smiles, but it doesn't touch her eyes. "That was Griffin. He was mad because he didn't think I was returning his calls."

"No worries, Carls, I'm sure you set him straight." Sam says warmly. Freddie nods in agreement, shifting slightly closer to Sam on the couch.

"That I did." Carly says, laughing awkwardly. "That I did."

**So...what did you think! Let me know in a review! Next week is going to be the really big one...I can't wait to write it, so I may put it out a little early!**

**Special thanks to: Kpfan72491, iLoveNubsAndVampires, Elise Suzanne, lucywatson, KressxBlack, NinjahGirl, Plant Love Grow Peace, infinitusvox, wakawakababe, AshesToAshes, iLoVeSeDdiE12, LollipopFandom, iPeppyCola, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, luktheduke, Zikki 4 Evahz, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, I'mMusicalMe, popcorn1001, LoonyMsLuna, leodoglover, rachim4, The Donut Eater, alwayssmiling11, October103, Julefor, SeddieShortBus, Mardelzor, mirage888, seddieluver, CarlyToldRidgeway-Awesome, Quinno96, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83, Geekquality, Romance and Musicals, Ashlee Seddie, singstar29, justjb, Mike2101, Seddielovergrl, coketree20, theofficialseddiefan, kaity97, wolflover, iM Crazy For Shakespeare, icecoffee18, The future Mrs Maslow, Ally2497, SeddieandVampireDiariesxXx, and iKrystal! You are all so awesome and I owe you all so much!**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Are you asking about Alex Cooper? You'll see what he's up to next chapter. Hopefully I can post that chapter early. :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Alex Cooper is indeed a greedy person. About the unfinished fanfictions: I think that readers will be able to separate the fanfiction story from the show, but I think interest in Seddie fanfictions will go down. That's just my opinion.**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAH: Think about what Carly has on her phone. What has she been doing throughout the story?**

**TO KAITY97: Thanks! Hope this chapter lived up to the wait! :)**

**TO WOLFLOVER: I hate Alex Cooper and Mr. Hall too! :/**

**TO I'M CRAZY FOR SHAKESPEARE: Wow, that's a lot of chapters in one day! Love your name btw, haha! :)**

**So...that's about it! Stay awesome and remember to review! :D**


	74. It's All Your Fault

**New chapter! My updates from now on will be more frequent, but irregular.**

Wendy POV 4:58AM Day 26

A dull buzzing from beneath my pillow abruptly wakes me and I blindly fumble for my phone for a few seconds before bringing it to my ear.

"Hello?" I ask, rubbing sleep from my eyes. It wasn't uncommon for someone to call me with news in the middle of the night and I'd adapted accordingly.

"Wendy!" Hannah, my cousin that worked on a gossip magazine with nationwide circulation, greets me. She sounded out of breath, excited. "You won't believe what's going down here. We just paid top dollar for the rights to our cover photos for the next issue." I wait, wondering what this had to do with me. "You wouldn't happen to know a Sam Puckett or Freddie Benson, would you?"

I couldn't speak. Only last week, Hannah had mentioned that business was slow. Slow enough that two teenagers of moderate popularity—at least compared to the usual stars they had on the cover—would be cover material?

Sam POV 6:30AM Day 26

I woke slowly, stretching luxuriously before getting up. With a start, I realize that I had slept through an entire night without waking up and my dreams had been pleasant, light-hearted. No nightmares of car crashes or evil doctors. How strange.

"Morning, Sam." Carly says, the sizzling sound of bacon coming from her frying pan. I sit down at the counter, still unsettled, and return her greeting numbly.

It wasn't until much later that Carly's well-hidden apprehension became apparent to me and explained why Carly didn't immediately recognize that something was wrong with me. We ate together, staring at the hummingbird sculpture the entire time. It really was an amazing sculpture and I loved it, loved every memory. Not that I would admit that retrospect had reminded me why I was in love with the most annoying dork on the planet in the first place.

We met Freddie in the hallway at the usual time and braved a light drizzle to Ridgeway, sharing few words as we were all lost in thought. Maybe that was why none of us noticed that, every so often, someone would do a double take and shake their heads at us before continuing on their way. In all honesty, I had forgotten that the article had come out.

Freddie holds open the door, like usual, and Carly and I stepped inside the main hall of Ridgeway. The first thing I notice is a buzz in the air, excitement and agitation among our peers. I might have been able to ignore it if the buzz hadn't immediately died the second we walked in. Carly steps forward, hesitantly, looking for some hint to what was going on. I felt Freddie ease closer to me, his arm grazing mine, and his body slide slightly in front of mine. It was meant to shield me from the piercing glances of every student in the room, that stupid protectiveness that I was suddenly thankful for. I usually wouldn't care if somebody was staring at me. I would ask if they had a problem, fist cocked, and they would walk away. This was much different. Every eye in the room was so _knowing_, like their suspicions had been confirmed.

Freddie's movement to block me only made it worse. Whispers suddenly filter through the room, something along the lines of 'I knew it!', and my stomach churns uncomfortably. Carly looks back at us, obviously lost. Freddie and I offer no help, sweating as more and more people push in the main hall to stare at us. What the hell was going on?

"Excuse me…could you…uh…tell us what's happening?" Carly asks the nearest person, a girl named Natalie that I knew from detention. Natalie pulls a newspaper from her purse, winking at me before handing the paper to Carly. I didn't know people still read newspapers. I catch Natalie's eye, confused, and she merely mouths the words 'He's cute' before pointing at Freddie.

Finally, the idiots in the crowd surrounding us could contain themselves no longer. A dull murmur broke out as Carly stared at the paper in front of her. A few of Freddie's nerd friends shot him a thumbs up, calling out different things that couldn't be heard above the crowd. Two jocks from the football team that used to bully Freddie before I set them straight approached from behind, slapping Freddie's back with congratulations as their teammates cat-called from within the crowd. A half dozen girls shoot me death stares, looking like they were about to use their stiletto heels to stab me. Carly finally glances away from the paper, motioning for me and Freddie to follow her as she cut her way through the growing crowd.

The people were pressing, whispering, all too much at once. They were everywhere, holding newspapers that I could never seem to read before Carly whisks us away. We finally arrive at the theater, the only place where—ironically—nobody was.

"What's happening, Carly?" Freddie asks, standing over her as she collapses into a seat. Carly buries her head in her hands, the newspaper crinkling in her death grip.

"I messed up. I messed up bad." Carly's voice comes, muffled. I was on the verge of ripping the newspaper out of her hands and just finding out what was going on already. It couldn't be as bad as the hype it was getting. No, definitely not.

"Tell us." Freddie demands, tense at my side. Carly looks up, tears tracing paths down her face.

"I didn't mean for it to happen, I swear. They were just for me, only for me. I figured that one day we could look back and laugh…" She trails off, choking on her tears. Freddie's face pales and I suddenly feel very cold. I don't remember ever being more terrified in my life as Carly hands over the newspaper, begging us to forgive her.

The newspaper is folded in half, the top half up. The title immediately catches my attention: Ridgeway's Romeo and Juliet.

My throat tightens and I can't bring myself to read the article. Freddie flips the bottom half up. I don't breathe for a solid minute. It was _us._

Freddie lets out an audible gasp, dropping the paper as if it were on fire.

_It's all over._

My hands shake as I reach down to retrieve the paper, exposing the pictures once more.

_I must have imagined it._ I knew I hadn't imagined anything.

There it was. Two kids on a fire escape. Kissing. Even with the slightly grainy quality, it was obvious who it was. The picture was even time stamped and I numbly realize that it must be from a security camera.

My eyes wander down the page, taking in the devastation. Just when I think I can't take anymore, I see the next picture and then the next and so on. One of us staring at each other in the Groovy Smoothie. Another of us cuddling in Freddie's bed. Yet another of Freddie holding me bridal style.

It suddenly occurred to me that only one person could have possibly taken all of these pictures. I slowly lift my eyes to the girl crying in the seat. I don't say anything, not feeling any of the anger that's supposed to come with betrayal. Shouldn't I be cussing her out or something? But no. My silence was enough. That was all there would ever be anymore: silence. I could never trust her again. It didn't matter if she apologized a thousand times—even though she was already almost there—she couldn't fix this.

Grief briefly overpowers my terror, and I struggle to keep my eyes dry. The newspaper falls to the ground at my feet and my stomach churns. The grief was too much for me and suddenly, startlingly, it changed to anger, but not at Carly. It wasn't just one friendship I was grieving. Carly had been my sister through thick and thin and I would miss her more then I could bear, but it was done. I had decided, however horrible it felt to make the decision.

My other friendship was quite another story. He wasn't responsible for this. He wasn't guilty of anything but making me fall in love with him. It didn't take a genius to connect the pictures to the article title. Even without reading it, I knew that it was the story of our secret love affair. You know, the one that never existed mutually. Yeah, that one.

The miniscule part of my brain that remained positive dreamed that this would all blow over in a few weeks, but iCarly's popularity had kind of shot that horse in the face. With my luck, I'd get called on this for the rest of my life. Perfect.

The only thing left to do was to let him go, like I should have before this blew up in my face. I was already pissed at Freddie, even though I could admit to myself that the only thing he had done wrong was make me fall in love with him. That was more than enough.

"You!" I turn on Freddie, jabbing a finger into his chest. He steps back, barely controlling himself. Huh. Maybe he was mad at me too. "This is all YOUR fault!" Freddie's face is already red with anger and he pushes forward, bumping into me.

"MY fault? What are you talking about, Puckett?" He spits my name out like it's something vile and I suddenly understand why he's mad at me. He _hated_ that everyone thought he loved me, especially after all I had done to him. It did kind of make him sound like a glutton for punishment. Or a lunatic, depending on how well you knew me. I push him off of me, furious.

"Everything is your fault! EVERYTHING! The pictures, the article, the play! Why didn't you just break your promise to Ms. Esposito? It sure as hell would have made my life a lot easier!" I yell, brandishing the article and shoving it into his face. He pushes me away, tearing the newspaper in the process.

"Well, what about you? What possessed you to run out into the worst storm we've had in years and get hypothermia? How stupid are you?" He screams back. I've never seen him this angry before and that, in turn, made me even more pissed. Why wouldn't he just back down and let me walk away now that I'd made my point?

"Shut up! Just shut up!" I was right in his face now, fingers resting lightly on his chest in preparation to shove him to the ground. He caught up my hands before I could, pushing me off of him again. "And who could ever love you anyway, Benson?" I take a shaky breath before continuing, watching the blood drain out of his face. "You're a loser! I've told you that since day one." It hurt me more that it hurt him, but I needed him to give up on me, forever. "You don't know the first thing about girls and, once they figure that out, you'll be nothing to them! I don't even know how I put up with you so long!" I was good at hurting people. Freddie's breathing heavy and I don't know what he's going to next. He does the last thing I expect: he pushes me, hard.

"Like you're one to talk, Puckett." He hisses, his eyes ablaze. "All you are is a bully. Nobody likes you, can't you see that?" I punch him, my blood pulsing faster and faster until my head hurt. "See, again. You can dish it out, but you can't take it?" The truth? Maybe I couldn't take it. "I wish I hadn't let Carly guilt me into being your friend in the first place!"

"Well, same here!" I fire back, in his face once more. "I hate you!" I say it deliberately, monitoring his response. Maybe, subconsciously, I wanted him to stop here and look hurt. Maybe I wanted to give him one last chance.

"I hate you too!" He shouts back immediately. Maybe he hadn't ever been this furious at a person before. Maybe he was saying things he'd regret later. One. Last. Chance. Then: "I wish I hadn't saved your life!"

Freddie POV 7:30AM Day 26

The words escape me before I can hold them back, the poisonous anger taking over. I had already been mad at the entire world, at everyone and everything that was going to see those pictures. Couldn't they just leave me alone? Leave Sam alone?

The second Sam had turned on me, I had responded with more anger then I'd ever known I could feel. I wasn't going to back down this time. No way was I going to take the blame for something that would affect both of us for the rest of our lives. Frankly, I didn't care anymore. I knew Sam would never feel the same way about me and maybe anger was the only way to hide my feelings for her. In any case, I wasn't backing down. Until I went too far.

My anger vanishes instantly. I imagine this is what an out-of-body experience feels like: unable to react, unable to feel, only able to watch. Sam's face visibly pales and she staggers back like I've hit her. She bumps into a seat, reaching down to grip it tightly and hold herself up. Her expression is blank but, without her anger, I can see something had broken in her just by catching her eyes. I want to do something, need to tell her I didn't mean a word, but I can't. I'm certain that I'm the worst person on Earth.

"Sam -." I manage, the impossible effort of breathing her name stealing all of my breath. The sound of my whisper seems to stir her and she looks up at me slowly. Her expression is still blank, her eyes unfocused and almost looking through me. I wait for her to tell me that she hates me or for her to punch me again. I would do anything to take it all back. Instead she straightens by some great force of will and takes her first backward step towards the exit on the far side of the theater. I watch, hating that nothing was moving in slow motion like it was supposed to be. Wasn't that what happened when you watched the most important person in your life walk away? Instead, it happens too quickly, and I silently plead with her to come back. She pauses at the exit and, even though she's at the far end of the theater, I can see her shoulders rise and fall as she forces deep breaths. She shouldn't care this much. Why would something _I _had said hurt her so much? She'd just told me that she hated me. Sam shoves the door open, slamming it shut behind her without a backward glance.

The moment I lost Sam was the moment I could truly define what we had been all those years: best friends. That's why my words had hurt so much and why Sam's words had tore a hole in me. The sound of Carly crying behind me is what spurns me forward, finally allowing me to go after Sam. In a matter of seconds, I was looking out the back entrance Sam had used, desperate to find her. She's nowhere to be seen, but I step outside and try to see through the impossibly thick fog that she had evaporated into. I call for her hoarsely, breaking into a jog as I tried to figure out the direction she had gone in. It isn't long before I'm sprinting, praying that the impossible task of finding Sam would still lead me to her.

It doesn't.

Somehow, I end up in the back parking lot of Ridgeway, staring at the fog she had disappeared into. I hear movement and a boy I recognize as Bobby Rexell takes the spot next to me. Bobby is a senior; it already looks like he's had a few too many and he smells like an ashtray.

"I always knew the blonde put out. Maybe not for you, but I knew she put out." Bobby rasps, chuckling like it's far funnier than it is. "You know, I think I'll talk to her." I can't even describe what came out of my mouth next. It was somewhere between a snarl and a growl. I rip the newspaper out of Bobby's hands, tearing it into miniscule pieces and throwing them to the side.

"If you even think about Sam, that's what you're going to look when I'm finished with you." I hiss, not bluffing one bit. Bobby raises his hands in surrender, backing off a tiny bit.

"Woooaaaahhhh. Chill, dude. So are you two, like, a thing now?" Bobby asks, lowering his hands and approaching me once more. "What, fuck buddies, wasn't enough?"

"It wasn't like that!" I insist, slightly hysterical gasps beginning to form in my chest. Sam was gone, would never come back, and the whole school thought we were something we weren't.

"Suuuurrreee. Whatever you say, brah." Bobby points at the newspaper I had torn to shreds before continuing. "You can't do that to every single newspaper, magazine, and webpage that's going to have those pictures, and pictures don't lie. People do." Bobby saunters away, in the direction of his pothead buddies, and I feel the first hysterical gasp escape me.

The entire _world_ thought Sam and I were something we weren't, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

**Okay. Don't hate me. I felt that I had to do this for a better final resolution of the story and please keep in mind that is has to get worse before it gets better. I can honestly say that this is the last big fight between Sam and Freddie in this story. Also keep in mind that I've promised a happy ending. Thanks so much for all of your support and awesome reviews that keep me writing! :)**

**Special thanks to: Romance and Musicals, OnAMission, The Donut Eater, Summer721, Kpfan72491, Julefor, Ashlee Seddie, Elise Suzanne, alwayssmiling11, LoonyMsLuna, AshesToAshes, I'M Crazy For Shakespeare, seddielova991, Mike2101, Katrina, Lyllian CK, smileyface, singstar29, SeddieShortBus, Geekquality, Cati, SeddieandVampireDiariesxXx, NinjahGirl, Plant Love Grow Peace, Quinno96, The future Mrs Maslow, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, popcorn1001, sincerely broken, seddieluver, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Kenzstuff17, Mardelzor, Zikki 4 Evahz, PastaPrincess, soultaker97, theofficialseddiefan, luktheduke, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83, mirage888, Hannah, wakawakababe, Nada Themis, wolflover, iLoveNubsAndVampires, Mistymoozer, Zazeendot, and Mike Kinkaid!**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Haha, thanks! An epilogue? I have to finish this first. xD**

**TO I'M CRAZY FOR SHAKESPEARE: Glad you liked last chapter! :)**

**TO SEDDIELOVA991: I've thought about that, and I've not ruled it out, but I'm thinking about doing something else. Great minds think alike. :)**

**TO KATRINA: I hate Alex Cooper too. :/**

**TO CATI: Thanks! About ten chapters left, I think. :)**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAHZ: Glad you enjoyed it! :)**

**TO PASTAPRINCESS: Wow, thanks! Yep, probably about ten chapters left. :D**

**TO HANNAH: You shouldn't be offended, I must have messed up. :P Glad you liked the Spencer scene!**

**TO WOLFLOVER: Sam had weddings on the brain. She was getting married to Freddie in the play and all she could think about was weddings. She realizes that she wants to marry Freddie for real, one day. :)**

**TO ZAZEENDOT: Thanks! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! :D**


	75. Denial

**Not the happiest chapter, but hang in there! :)**

Carly POV 12:08PM Day 26

"Carly, someone's here to see you." Spencer calls softly, poking his head into my room. He had picked me up from school after I had managed to pull myself together enough to call him. Spencer, like the majority of our generation, didn't read the newspaper and he hadn't heard about the article until it had leaked onto Splashface.

"No." I croak, pulling the covers over my head. It was horribly selfish for me to lie here, but I couldn't bring myself to move. I'd ruined everything. Images of their fight were burned in my brain, but—even worse—sound. Their insults still rang in my ears, refusing to fade.

"She really wants to see you. She says her name is Wendy." Spencer replies hesitantly. He didn't want to push me. Even when I'd admitted everything I'd done to him, he still was looking out for me. Spence really was the best older brother ever.

"Can you send her in, please?" I ask, sitting up and wiping away my tears. Spencer disappears and Wendy enters the room a moment later. She sits on the couch and waits a few minutes before speaking.

"You lost your phone." She finally says, her voice faint.

"I told you that I did." I reply miserably, resting my head in my hands.

"Not before I sent you the picture." Wendy says, just as depressed as I was. She shared in my guilt. In an attempt to prove that she was still necessary to get Sam and Freddie together, she had sent me a picture of Sam and Freddie's first kiss. How she had gotten it, I hadn't the slightest idea, but Alex Cooper had received it just fine.

"They fought." I whisper, shattering a long silence. Wendy starts, alarmed.

"Really? After all this time and everything they've been through?" Wendy stands abruptly. It was obvious that she was thinking at about a million miles an hour. "I would have thought they would turn on the reporter. You know what this means, right?" I stare back at her blankly. "There's still hope!"

"I don't follow." I say slowly, rising out of my bed.

"Have you ever been in love, Carly?" Wendy asks, her eyes bright with excitement.

"Of course!" I fire back, offended. She shakes her head, pursing her lips.

"No, no. Really in love. In love like you'd give them up if it was better for them, even if it hurt you for years." Wendy waits for me to get it.

"Are you saying…" I trail off, stunned. Could Sam and Freddie fought to get rid of each other? To force the other to let them go?

"Yes, I am. I need your help to make it right, Carly."

Freddie POV 1:38PM Day 26

"-and this one! How do you explain this one!" Mom demands, pointing at a picture with frenzied intensity.

"It wasn't like that. Nothing's going on, I swear." I'd already repeated those exact words a hundred times to every person I'd met today. Nobody believed me, including my mom.

"Things like this don't just happen, Fredward!" I tune her out, staring blankly at the floor. Oddly enough, she was more upset about the picture of my first kiss then of any of the other pictures. The idea that I could have kissed someone I supposedly despised and then kept it a secret was too much for her. After a few more minutes of her lecture, I look up.

"I know you don't believe me." I cut her off, rising to my feet. "There's nothing going on between me and…_her_. I'm sorry I didn't tell you that we kissed, but it was a onetime thing and I promised to keep it a secret. I keep my promises, Mom." I grip the doorknob, staring back at her a long time before opening the door. Everything I did would be wrong today. It was like there was no chance for me to make a decision that would in the end, solve my problems and get this weight off of my chest.

I'd screwed up. Big time. It wasn't going to go away anytime soon. So, I start to head back to Ridgeway. If I couldn't make myself feel better, maybe I could brighten someone else's day.

After all, I keep my promises.

Sam POV 5:52PM Day 26

You have eighty-eight missed messages. First unheard message:

_**Hey Sam, it's me, Mel…have you seen the papers yet? I don't even know what to say but that I'm so sorry for both of you. If you need to talk or you want me to fly back before the semester ends, I can. Love you. Call me back the second you get this**_**.**

Fifth unheard message:

_**Please pick up, Sam; it's Carly again. I never meant for this to happen, I've always wanted you to be happy. I would do anything to take it back and I mean that, honestly. Anything. I don't deserve it, but please call me back. It would mean the world to me.**_

Eighth unheard message:

_**It's Freddie. *Pause* I need to talk to you, face-to-face. Please, Sam. Please.**_

Eleventh unheard message (Mel):

_**Why aren't you answering you're phone? You can't hide from this Sam and it's not going to change anything if you keep trying to disappear. Carly said that you went out on your own this morning and nobody's seen you since, so I'm sure everybody's really worried out there. I know I am. Please talk to me, Sam.**_

Fifty-third unheard message:

…_**is it on? Yes? **__**Grazie, my chicken. This girl tells me that this is something called a voicemail, Miss Puckett. I have never left one before, so I will do my best: I am sorry for what has been published and exposed for everyone to see. I cannot imagine what it is like when news travels as quickly through the world as it does through a high school. You must remember that rumors will die with time, if you avoid more headlines and continue to live your life. My agent told me that once. I wish you luck, Miss Puckett. I will understand if you choose not to act in my show any longer, but please know that I will have to replace you if you don't. Mr. Benson is here.**_

Freddie POV 6:08PM Day 26

"I can do it, Ms. Esposito!" A drama girl named Rachel Sheridan insists, tagging after the director as she paced. The show was supposed to have started almost ten minutes ago, but Ms. Esposito had insisted on giving _her_ a little extra time to show up. As time ticked by and she had yet to materialize, this Rachel chick had become increasingly annoying. "I have all the lines memorized, all the stage directions!"

Ms. Esposito continues to pace, ignoring Rachel. In a last ditch attempt to get the roll she'd always wanted, Rachel throws herself in front of the director and begins to tap dance.

"Look, I can even dance!" Rachel finishes with a dramatic sweeping gesture, out of breath. Ms. Esposito checks the clock up above, finally giving up hope.

"Fine. Get dressed, Miss Sheridan." And, with that, the already huge weight on my chest that made it difficult to breathe became a crushing force. I had secretly wished that _she _would show up and maybe, just maybe, I could try to apologize. Not that she'd accept it; I certainly wouldn't blame her if she didn't.

I'd come to be Romeo to help out Ms. Esposito. I had no understudy and nobody knew my lines. If I didn't come, the play was dead. What I didn't know was that Rachel Sheridan had been preparing for the role of Juliet for the last six months and had been crushed when _she_ had got the part. Now, I was going to be feigning love for a girl I barely knew and, all the time, I would be thinking of _her_. No matter what I did or who I tried to help, I hurt someone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ridgeway High's very own drama department presents _Romeo and Juliet_!"

Showtime.

Carly POV 7:38PM Day 26

In all, it had been pretty much the worst day of my life. I had unwittingly betrayed my two best friends to the bloodthirsty media who had, in turn, sacrificed them for their own gain. Due to my betrayal, I lost aforementioned best friends and then watched them tear each other to pieces. Sam was still missing, despite the efforts of Ms. Benson to report her as a missing person out of what appeared to be genuine concern. If Sam didn't turn up by tomorrow morning, then the police would start to look for her. Anyone who was close to Sam knew that she wouldn't be found unless she wanted to be found; we could only hope that she came back safe. The fact that so much rode on such a feeble hope sickened me. Freddie had arrived at the play—much to my surprise—but, then again, so had I. For some inexplicable reason, I was drawn to the play.

Maybe I was hoping that Sam and Freddie would both show up and confess their undying love to each other. Of course, they couldn't make it that easy on themselves; or anyone around them, for that matter.

So, after all of that, I had suffered through the most boring production I had ever been to. That includes elementary school plays. It wasn't the supporting cast's fault. Rachel just wasn't Sam and, though she was probably a better overall actress then Sam, she would never be able to "play" the girl that was completely in love but in a doomed relationship better then Sam. After the fight this morning, I really thought that maybe Sam and Freddie were never going to talk to each other again, let alone admit that they loved each other. Then, Wendy had come forward with a crazy plan. A plan so out there that, as Spencer would say, it was a "hail mary". But, after watching the misery and remoteness etched in Freddie's every word and motion, I was having a hard time convincing myself that it wasn't worth a try.

Sam POV 4:42AM Day 27

"Are you drunk?"

Hmm. Wasn't this conversation usually reversed?

"Not anymore." I admit, collapsing on the couch and curling into a ball. My mom moves to stand over me, tilting her head to the side.

"Hungover, then?" She asks loudly, not bothering to keep her voice down. I flinch, covering my ears and groaning as my head throbbed painfully. "I'll take that as a yes." I feel the couch move as Mom sits at my feet. She doesn't ask why, after all this time, I've come home. She knows. Everyone knows. "Barry showed me the paper from this morning." Mom laughs before drinking deeply from her beer bottle. The sight of the bottle made me sick. My memories from last night are fading, to the point where I'm not even sure where I got so much alcohol. Ouch. It hurt to think.

"He dumped me when he found out I had a daughter. Bastard." She drinks again, grunting. "So. It was the Benson kid all along."

I close my eyes, unsuccessfully trying to block her out. His name was too much right now.

"You can't say I didn't warn you. I told you not to fall in love." She pauses and I feel the weight of her stare. "And you did love him. Do love him. Past tense is a tricky thing." It hurts, hurts even worse than my head or my stomach. I want to cry, but I didn't want to give her the satisfaction.

"No, I don't." I lie, still clinging to my denial. It was all I had left. "I hate him." Mom just laughs, reaching over to pat my arm.

"Good try. You've got the Puckett fight in you, that's for sure." She sighs. For the first time in my life, there seems to be a sort of comradeship between us. Maybe, now that karma had extracted its revenge, her grudge would fade. "Hell, you're already onto the rest of your life. I don't care what you do, just don't get yourself pregnant. The last thing we need is a mini version of you running around here."

Was that it then? I had fought so hard to not be like my mother, to avoid such a horrifying loss, but here I was. I had not only lost him, but I'd made him wish I was dead. So, now I was hungover. Would this be a weekly thing now? A daily thing? The same Puckett spirit that urged me not to give up and stop living could also help me escape my mother's fate. An ultimatum lay before me, time ticking by as I turned over my options in my head.

Get drunk and move from guy to guy, dwelling on what once was?

Or somehow find the strength to move on and face everyone?

I rise, turning to face Mom, and take a deep breath.

"I got drunk alone; I didn't screw around like you." She catches the disdain in my tone and a smile forms on her lips.

"Well, isn't that depressing?" She tips the bottle back, drinking deeply.

I retreat to the bathroom to puke my guts out.

**So...let me be the first to say that I am firmly against teen drinking, excessive drinking, drunk driving, etc. It felt like something Sam would do if this were to happen to her, but I by no means endorse it.**

**Special thanks to: Jordan, Lysha, I'm Crazy for Shakespeare, Lalelis, leodoglover, seddieluver, Kpfan72491, Mike2101, KK-Needs-Rehab, Elise Suzanne, iLoveNubsAndVampires, singstar29, Musicmaster1496, seddieluver27, amiinii, Mike Kinkaid, popcorn1001, Zikki 4 Evahz, swimgirl7143, iPeppyCola, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, Lyllian CK, The Donut Eater, Mardelzor, rachim4, Ehann, Plant Love Grow Peace, Geekquality, I'mMusicalMe, alwayssmiling11, Romance and Musicals, luktheduke, Mistymoozer, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83, seddielova991, Julefor, PartyPooper845, mirage888, soultaker97, Daniella, Ashlee Seddie, SeddieShortBus, infinitusvox, 888Marshmelow, omeroo002, AshesToAshes, LORENASEDDIEFOREVER, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Katrina, ofirhendel, LoveHateSucker, ishakespeeaar 3, SeddieandVampireDiariesxXx, creddie-sucks-seddie-love, seddie333, Anonymous, Invader Rachel, wolflover, NinjahGirl, and ColbyDanielle! You are all so awesome and I owe you so much!**

**TO JORDAN: Yes, I've made you all wait a very long time for Sam and Freddie to get together, but there's only about ten chapters left, tops. I'm working on updating more often. :)**

**TO LYSHA: I'm not sure if I'm going to keep going on the Alex Cooper POV's...I have to think about it. Thanks! 3 **

**TO I'M CRAZY FOR SHAKESPEARE: Aww, glad you liked it! This chapter is a little sooner and I'm hoping the new chapter will be out in less then a week. :)**

**TO LALELIS: Wow, thank you so much! One of the best compliments a writer can receive is that they inspired emotion in their readers, so that means a lot. :D**

**TO SEDDIELUVER27: Haha, I'm sincerely sorry for making your parents think you're a lunatic. Thanks for reading and reviewing! :)**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAH: Yep, Freddie messed up even worse then Sam. The next few chapters will have more Sam/Freddie interaction.**

**TO SWIMGIRL7143: Haha, thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Yep, I've been planning this from the beginning. Pretty ambitious, huh? xD Anyways, new update in another few days hopefully! :)**

**TO SEDDIELOVA991: I've pretty much got where I'm going to take the play figured out. I can't wait for you guys to read it!**

**TO DANIELLA: I'm not sure how far you are now, but thanks so much for taking the time to read my story! :D**

**TO OMEROO002: Thanks! Hope you get to read this soon! :)**

**TO ASHESTOASHES: Nope, this chapter didn't make everything better. Sorry. :/ Stay tuned! Every chapter will (hopefully) get a little happier!**

**TO LORENASEDDIEFOREVER: No se mucho espanol, pero pruebo traducir mas tarde, tal vez. (I don't know a lot of Spanish, but I'll try to translate later, maybe.) :)**

**TO KATRINA: Sam and Freddie will make up...eventually. )**

**TO iSHAKESPEEAAR 3: There's only about ten chapters left, hang in there! I'd hate to lose a fan this close to the end of the story. :)**

**TO CREDDIE-SUCKS-SEDDIE-LOVE: Glad you like my story. And nope, they're still oblivious. :)**

**TO SEDDIE333: If Carly told Sam that Freddie loved her, do you think Sam would believe her? In my interpretation of Sam, the answer is no. The same goes for vice versa. So, Carly tries to show Sam and Freddie that they love each other.**

**TO ANONYMOUS: Wow, that's a lot of reading! Hope you liked this chapter. :)**

**TO WOLFLOVER: Yep, there will be a happy ending. :)**

**So, that's about it! Thanks so much for reading and please remember to review! :D**


	76. Pandora's Box

**We're getting closer to the happier stuff, but we're not quite there. Hang in there! :)**

Freddie POV 8:21AM Day 28

_Five hundred fifty eight, Five hundred fifty nine, Five hundred sixty, Five hundred-_

A soft knock on my door makes me lose my place and I give up on counting the dots on the ceiling, rising into a sitting position. Mom doesn't wait for me to answer her knock; instead, she barges in just as I'm reaching for my shirt.

"Well, good morning. Did you sleep well?" She asks, stepping closer to my bed. I shrug, not bothering to mention that I hadn't been able to sleep at all. It was Saturday, after all. I didn't even have to go to school today. "That's great, honey." She says, trying to keep her tone sugary-sweet.

"Sure." I reply dully, slipping the shirt over my head. Mom takes a deep breath, brushing past me to sit on my bed.

"Carly came by a few minutes ago." She studies my reaction, apparently waiting for me to explode. My shoulders rise automatically, dropping a second later. Strangely, I didn't care. About anything. "She wanted to see you but I told her you were sleeping." Mom pauses. I don't react, only moving to sit next to her on my bed. "She made cupcakes. They're in the kitchen. She says she doesn't expect you to forgive her, but she wants you to know that she's sorry." Another long silence. "Nothing?" Mom finally asks, exasperated.

"I'm not mad at her. Maybe I should be mad, but I'm not. But that doesn't mean I'm going to forgive her." Maybe I didn't care enough to lie, maybe I wanted to tell the truth. Probably both. Mom shakes her head, frustrated.

"I don't understand. You won't let me sue that horrible newspaper man and you won't even let me be upset with that Shay girl!" She seems as if she's geared up for a whole lecture, so I stop her.

"I already told you: Carly didn't mean for it to happen. That doesn't mean that I forgive her for taking those pictures in the first place, but that also doesn't mean I'm mad at her." I swallow heavily as I move to the next charge. Yes, I was mad at him. "As for Cooper, I could probably trace those pictures back to Carly and she could sue him. I won't, though. I've tried to avoid hearing the reactions to his article, but—from what's going around—the public has mostly turned against him, especially iCarly fans. He miscalculated. Sure, he can get a great job at a tabloid now, but that's about it. All credible publications backed out as soon as they figured out just how far he went. Why waste time and money to give more publicity to that asshole? No, I'm done." It was quite a speech, but one I'd been building up to since I had overheard bits and pieces of disapproval from people all over the city. I still couldn't bring myself to go on the internet. Mom rubs a few small circles on my back, surprisingly silent. I could tell that she didn't completely agree with me.

But, when she stands to leave, she kisses my forehead and tells me that she loves me.

After she leaves the room, I feel even worse. My mom would stick with me through thick and thin, but who was going to stick with Sam?

The answer arrives as my phone beeps, chirping loudly from my bedside table. I approach it hesitantly, finally picking up when I see the caller ID.

"She's home." A voice, very familiar, but not quite right. Melanie.

"Safe?" I ask after allowing myself a sign of relief.

Silence.

"Melanie? Is she safe?"

"I don't know."

Suddenly, there seemed to be a much better way for me to apply my talents.

Sam POV 9:08AM Day 28

A hesitant knock on my bedroom door brings me out of my reverie and I slowly sit up, shaking my head.

"Who's there?" I ask cautiously. Mom wouldn't bother to knock and Melanie's flight hasn't even left yet. A head pokes in, scanning the dark room until she finds me. I stare back blankly, bringing my knees to my chest. "What do you want?" My voice was rough, husky, probably out of exhaustion. I haven't slept since…since everything.

"I brought you some cupcakes." She places a pan on the small table directly to the right of the doorway. "I'm sorry. So, so sorry. All I ever wanted was for you to me happy and now you're like this." Carly gestures at me helplessly. I roll over, burying my face in my pillow. I didn't even want to look at her.

Light footsteps…then hesitation.

"If you need me, I'm right here, Sam. Always. Please don't forget that." Carly inhales deeply, backing out of the room. I almost stopped her.

Almost.

Freddie POV 11:28AM Day 28

"Freddie? Hey, man." Shane grasps my hand, pulling me into a quick hug. "What are you doing here?" He glances behind me, like he's expecting reporters to be hiding out in the shrubs along his front lawn. Luckily it hadn't gotten to that point yet, but it still didn't feel good to walk around with my head bowed under a hoodie.

"I need to borrow that new program you got for your birthday." I say, to the point. It wouldn't set it right, but it would make her feel better. That is, if I could prove it.

"Can I ask what you're going to use it for?" Shane moves aside to let me in his house, closing the door behind us.

"A simulation." I reply vaguely. Shane leans forward, waiting for more. "I can't say more, but I really need it."

Shane thinks for a moment, studying me.

"Okay." He exhales, looking away.

"You don't know how much that means. Thanks, man." I don't smile, but the muscles around my mouth twitch. An almost smile. Shane gets up, patting me on the back.

"Well, I can't let you think that _everyone_ you know is a jackass."

Freddie POV 1:23PM Day 28

It was a simple matter to find the desk the women on the phone had referred me too, but I approach the uniformed officer behind the desk with caution anyways.

"Um...," I begin intelligently, finally able to read his badge. "Officer Rodchester, hi. My name is Fred-." The officer rolls his eyes, leaning forward and cutting me off.

"What do you want, kid?" He asks rudely, barely giving me an ounce of his attention. I close my eyes and take a deep breath. _For Sam._

"I'd like to see footage of the intersection at Winchester and Main on May 29, 2006." I say, trying to inject a sense of urgency into my voice but failing entirely. It was impossible now, even when I was working on the only thing that really mattered anymore. The officer squints at me, perking up for some reason.

"Why would you happen to need that footage?" He asks, staring me straight in the eye. It was obvious that he was watching for any hint that I was lying.

"A car crash." My voice breaks, the only emotion I had heard in it in what felt like forever. The officer stands, limping around the desk and sizing me up. For the first time, I notice exactly how grey the man's hair is and how profound his injury must be for a limp like that. "There would have been a Mr. Puckett and his daughter in it." I add, trying to hurry the man's inspection along. To my surprise, the old officer sticks out his massive paw of a hand, shaking my hand firmly.

"I was the first responding officer on the scene." It takes longer than a minute for me to fully process his words and another minute to swallow the tennis-ball sized lump in my throat.

"It's an honor. Is there anything you can show me?" When my voice breaks for the second time, the officer's stern demeanor fades just a little bit more and he takes his hand back.

"I met every single member of the family at the funeral, and you're obviously no relation. Not to mention that you're probably a minor. So, though I wish the answer was yes; no, I can't show you anything." The officer says, his regret sincere. I take another deep breath before responding, trying to keep my voice even.

"What can you tell me?" I ask, watching the officer pale before my eyes. It's a long time before he answers.

"I've responded to thousands of calls, but I've never in my career wanted to forget a scene more than that accident." The officer takes a breather, leaning against the counter before continuing. "Are you sure you want to hear this?" His eyes are tortured, the memory that had haunted him more than any other threatening to play out before me. _For Sam_.

"Yes." The old officer looks down, nodding his head in approval of my conviction before continuing.

"I made it to the scene just before the ambulances and fire engines. I saw a large SUV, mostly intact, except for a huge dent in the front; then I saw what was left of the Puckett's car." My chest constricts, the heart that I was amazed was beating in the first place being put under further strain. The officer looks down, scratching his head. "It was like I didn't have control over my body; but my training told me what to do: I got out of my patrol car and sprinted for the SUV first. There was a young woman in the driver's seat, alive, and she didn't appear to be seriously injured. I assisted the paramedics in getting her out of the SUV and into a gurney before reluctantly turning to the other car."

The old man shudders, his eyes rising to meet mine, and a chill runs down my spine. "It appeared to be an older car, one that I wouldn't want to drive in simply because of safety issues, and I was sure that anyone inside must be dead. One firefighter was working on the passenger side with the jaws of life and, for the first time, I realized that they were hoping for a survivor. I made it there just as the firefighter was pulling a girl out of the passenger's side." The chill spreads through me, bile rising in my throat and my legs trembling.

"What happened next?" I whisper, reaching out for the counter to support myself. The officer looks down once more, scuffling his feet as he tried to think of how to describe it.

"The girl was fighting against the firefighter, fighting against him with everything she had, so she could get back inside the car." The old man swallows, his features tensing. "I've always had a strong stomach, but that was the worst I've ever seen. The little girl's head was bloody, torn. Her hands were stained red, and, all along her right arm, shards of glass stuck out like she was some kind of human porcupine."

I didn't want to hear this, I couldn't hear this. But I had to. _For Sam_.

"I really wish I hadn't looked inside the car after they had managed to take the girl away (I could hear her giving the paramedics hell in the background), but I did and I saw him." The officer shudders, noticing my haggard features gripped in intense struggle. "You don't look so good, sonny. I shouldn't have told you, but you looked like you needed to know." I swallow heavily, my quaking muscles on the verge of collapse.

"I needed to hear that. Thank you, sir." I turn away abruptly, barely making it to the planter outside of the department before throwing up the contents of my empty stomach—bile. I wipe my mouth, automatically ignoring everyone around me; it was a skill I had picked up in the last twenty-four hours. Taking a deep breath, I take one last look at the police department before heading home, cracking my fingers the entire way.

Let the hacking begin. _For Sam._

Sam POV 6:28PM Day 28

I had just needed some air. At first, I had been able to fool myself into thinking that my destination was random. Now I was here and there was no denying that it was anything but random. Lightning flashes, thunder booms, rain thuds on the pavement, I stand still. The first step is harder then I'd ever imagined, but now at least I was moving.

The door offers little resistance and, as soaked as I was, I enter the lobby without as much as a squeak. Not a soul was in the room, something I was thankful for. I couldn't bear to be caught here, especially after I had worked so hard to stay away. Of the three doors on the far side of the lobby, only one door glided absolutely silently as you opened it. I approach it, the faint sound of voices on the other side of the door. My hands rest on the bar and I trace its cool contours as I listen. If I open this door, I may unleash unimaginable evil upon myself. My very own Pandora's Box.

I open the door.

It was too dark in the theatre for anyone to tell who the newcomer was and only a handful even notice someone enter in the first place. I stay to the back, away from the aisle lights, and watch. I even find myself murmuring the words along with Rachel. I don't stay long, only long enough for him to come on stage and lean in for the kiss. I turn on my heel, exiting the theatre without a sound and returning to the pouring rain.

Message received: You are replaceable.

Freddie POV 8:18PM Day 28

"I want her back, Mr. Benson." Ms. Esposito says, catching me by surprise. I turn, barely making her out in the darkness of the backstage area.

"I thought everyone left." I gasp, my hand over my chest.

"Sorry, my chicken. I did not mean to scare you." The director steps forward, unsmiling. "Can you get her back?" It didn't take a genius to figure out who she was talking about. "There is no passion, nothing between you and Ms. Sheridan. You forget what was once so easy. I want her back in my production for the last day. Can you do it?" I struggle for an answer.

"I've already kind of burnt the bridge, Ms. Esposito. Sorry." I finally say, hanging my head. Ms. Esposito studies me, her glasses magnifying her eyes to comical size.

"Well, you must try. I wish you luck." She whips around, disappearing behind a curtain, and leaves me gaping after her.

**So...what did you think? Nice long chapter, huh?**

**Special thanks to: rachim4, StrawberryCrush, luktheduke, HugsandBugsSmileyface, Mardelzor, Ashlee Seddie, carrne, I'mMusicalMe, leodoglover, isinkintohearts, popcorn1001, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Kpfan72491, Julefor, Romance and Musicals, AshesToAshes, EmilyHelene, Plant Love Grow Peace, Geekquality, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83, singstar29, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, NinjahGirl, Zikki 4 Evahz, Lysha, PurpleJerk, Mike2101, wakawakababe, seddieluver, BLACK MASTER 20, ishakespeeaar 3, iMaximumSeddie, bananaemotions76, alwayssmiling11, KK-Needs-Rehab, October103, seddielova991, SeddieShortBus, Sam's Tiger Ate Freddie, Em, iPeppyCola, SeddieandVampireDiariesxXx, ofirhendel, mortalimortality, Jordan, icecoffee18, mirage888, SparksFly617, HeyLove123, Intemporel, Danielle, Owlluver97, MeliLovely, and Anonymous! You guys (and girls) rock!**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: Will Sam come back to the play? Stay tuned! :)**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAHZ: Wendy's plan will be revealed in the next few chapters. :)**

**TO LYSHA: Not that it matters, but I am a girl. xD**

**TO iSHAKESPEEAAR 3: Aww, thanks! :D**

**TO SEDDIELOVA991: Glad you like the plot line! :)**

**TO EM: I promise. :)**

**TO iPEPPYCOLA: Happy Independence Day!**

**TO JORDAN: I love Castle! Awesome show. Beckett is probably my favorite character.**

**TO HEYLOVE123: Wow, thanks! That's a lot of chapters in one night!**

**TO DANIELLE: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter! :)**

**TO OWLLUVER97: I've been working on some original stories for a while, we'll see how it goes. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS: New chapter is out! :)**

**So...that's about it! Thanks so much for all of your amazing support. :D**


	77. Closure

**BIG NEWS: I'm going on vacation, so my next update won't be for another two weeks. :)**

Sam POV 10:28PM Day 28

I follow the light with my eyes, watching as it darts across the room. Rain continues to drill against the side of the house, thunder echoing every so often. I'd opened my blackout curtains so I could watch the lightning flash through the sky; I'd always loved thunderstorms. My room was usually a health hazard to all who dared to enter, but it was considerably cleaner now. Boredom was a great motivator.

THUNK.

I jerk into a sitting position, staring at my balcony door. What was that? Hail, I told myself. It must have been hail.

THUNK.

Just as I'd began to relax, there it was again. I listen carefully. Nothing, except for the howling wind.

THUNK.

Okay, this was really starting to freak me out. I spend a solid five minutes straining to hear over the wind, to no avail. I allow myself to recline and try to think of something else. It was difficult when so many subjects were taboo to me now. It's another full five minutes before I hear another sound and this one was more terrifying then any of the others. It was a knock. On my balcony door. I slide off of my bed, grabbing my baseball bat, and turn to the figure. I can't tell who they are, much less what they wanted. I cautiously approach the door, beginning to pick up on a muffled voice. It was asking for me to let them in.

I grip the bat tighter, taking a deep breath before unlocking the door and facing the stranger.

"What do you want?" I demand fiercely, ready to swing the bat at the slightest warning.

"To talk." I knew that voice. The bat falls to the ground, bouncing twice before settling on the carpet. I'm so surprised that I don't do anything except stare at him, pinching myself. It was a dream, of that I was sure. "Please let me in, Sam." He begs, shivering. Well. What a role reversal this was. I push him back and slam the balcony door, locking it once more.

This wasn't a dream, I'd decided. That didn't mean that it wasn't a nightmare. I stare at him through the glass, listening to his pleas and watching him shiver. Why was he here? To make amends? To soothe his conscious? Probably both. For the first time, I realize that my hands are shaking. Swallowing hard, I turn my back to him and sit on the far edge of my bed. He would give up if I ignored him long enough and all I wanted was to be left alone. Yet, as the minutes drag by, he seems to get louder and louder and my will was crumbling. If I let him say his piece, then he would leave me alone.

"Fine." I snarl to myself, getting up abruptly and throwing open the sliding glass door. "What?" He backtracks at the venom in my tone, flinching.

"P-Please let me in, Sam-m." His face was a few shades from turning blue and his teeth chattered violently. I consider him for a moment, taking it in. Quite a role reversal indeed.

"Get inside." I give in, rolling my eyes. He follows me in, closing the door behind us and breathing a sigh of relief as the heater kicked on. Shaking my head the whole time, I retrieve blankets from the hall closet and wordlessly hand them over. Freddie thanks me, almost biting his tongue off in the process. After he wraps the blankets around his drenched clothes, he begins hesitantly.

"I'm sorry, Sam." Freddie finally manages, staring at me. I could tell he meant it and that made it worse; it was so easy to hate the heartless Freddie Benson.

"Why are you here?" I ask briskly, pacing in front of the bed. Freddie stirs, adjusting the blankets.

"I didn't come for me, but you have to know that I didn't mean any of it. Not a-."

"I'm not having this conversation." I cut him off, glaring. He nods once, hanging his head.

"I really came for Ms. Esposito and our castmates." Freddie inhales deeply and my heart falters. "We need you back, Sam. It's not the same without you. There's one performance left and it would mean everything if you would come back." He wants to say more, but he stops himself. I cross my arms, still pacing, my heartbeat irregular. Was he saying that they needed me? That I wasn't replaceable after all? I want to believe it, more than anything; but I also don't want to get any of my hopes up. I knew first-hand what that did to you.

"Fine. One performance, but not for you. I'm doing it for all the hard work that everyone else put into the play." Freddie takes this in silence, still hanging his head. We stay like that for a while, unmoving. Finally, I say something. "You should go, it sounds like the storm's died down." He nods, taking the blankets off and handing them back to me. I take them deftly, careful not to brush hands. He doesn't miss that and attempts to apologize again before leaving. I shake my head, biting my lip.

"Bye, Sam. I'll see you tomorrow." He settles for, stepping out onto the balcony and beginning his descent down the trellis.

"Tomorrow." I murmur, under my breath.

Carly POV 11:28AM Day 29

"No. I heard he got her back for the play. Even if that doesn't work, it's still a no. I've already done too much." I say, the phone on speaker. Wendy's voice comes a minute later, frustrated.

"C'mon Carly this will so work!"

"Jealously didn't work out so well last time."

"Well, we're stepping it up this time. What's more important: your already screwed up friendship with Sam or Sam's happiness? There's still hope for one of the two!"

"For the last time Wendy, I said no. Find someone else to do it!"

"You know that you're the only one that can make this work."

"And I'm saying no. Looks like you're out of luck."

"When you're ready to start seeing sense, call me back. He's going to say no, anyway. It's like pulling a band-aid off: just get it over with!"

I hang up, fuming. The nerve of that girl! I wasn't going to do it, even if tonight turned out to be a disaster. Nope, I wasn't about to stab Sam in the back again.

Freddie POV 6:00PM Day 29

"She said she would be here." I repeat for about the fiftieth time, watching Ms. Esposito pace nervously in front of me.

"The show is supposed to start-." She checks her watch. "-now! We have no Juliet!" Ms. Esposito seems on the verge of a breakdown, constantly asking me where Sam was even though I had already told her I had no idea.

"She'll be here." _I think._

Just then, Sam strolls in, already in costume, and stops Ms. Esposito.

"Shouldn't the show be starting about now?" She asks, smiling when the old lady threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly.

"Juliet is back! Juliet is back!" Ms. Esposito shouts in excitement, pulling away and patting Sam's hand. "We will start right now, my chicken." It was odd, seeing Sam in Juliet's attire again. I don't think I've really processed what Sam coming back to the play means until this moment.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Ridgeway High's very own drama department presents _Romeo and Juliet_!"

Sam refuses to meet my eyes, choosing to watch the stage from behind a curtain instead. It isn't until I leave her that she breathes a sigh of relief.

Sam POV 7:18PM Day 29

No matter how much you practice, it's always difficult to remain as limp as a corpse while someone you love says their last words.

"Eyes, look your last." His voice catches and my fingers twitch involuntarily. "Arms, take your last embrace!" Freddie tightens his arms around me, leaning forward. His next words come as a whisper. "And, lips, O you the doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss a dateless bargain to engrossing death!" One of his arms shifts, uncapping the poison. "Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavoury guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on the dashing rocks thy sea-sick weary bark! Here's to my love!" He gulps the poison down, his voice wavering. "O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick." The vial clatters to the floor and Freddie leans closer. "Thus with a kiss I die."

As had been the case for the entire play, he's far more hesitant and careful then before. It was almost like he expected me to bite his lip or spit in his mouth. I'd dealt with it the first few kisses, but then it really started to hit me: this was it. These were the last times that I would ever kiss Freddie Benson. I was supposed to be in a near death state so I wasn't supposed to respond to this kiss...so I didn't. I still had one left.

Freddie pulls away, collapsing to the sate in a death sprawl. I'm still not allowed to move and I have to wait as Friar Lawrence talks to Balthazar. Finally, they get to my cue.

"Ah, what an unkind hour is guilty of this lamentable chance!" Friar Lawrence says, distraught. I turn my head to the side, slowly bring my arm to my face. "The lady stirs." He observes gravely. I rise slowly, as if awaking from a deep sleep. When I pretend to notice the Friar for the first time, I go through the last happy moment Juliet ever had.

"O comfortable friar! Where is my lord?" Freddie is right behind me, but I pretend not to notice him. "I do remember well where I should be, and there I am: where is my Romeo?" The words fly off my tongue automatically, but the emotions were a far different story. I'd figured that this would be good: it would be closure. After this, I could move on. At least, that was the idea.

When I finally look at Freddie for the first time, I'm able to drop my feigned happiness.

"Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end." I whisper to myself, picking up the vial. "O churl! Drink all, and left no friendly drop to help me after?" The dismay came easily, easier then I'd imagined. My eyes were burning. "I will kiss thy lips; haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative." I lift his head slightly, taking a shaky breath. This really was the end. It feels like forever before I'm actually able to press my lips to his. I push hard, almost desperately. The end. Two words that suddenly made me feel violently ill. I push my lips harder.

Nothing existed in that moment, as clichéd as that sounds. In my mind we were alone and it was the end. I'm only slightly surprised when Freddie starts to push back, startled at my force. Neither of us would give in, would pull away to breathe. When we finally do break apart, it's collective and (luckily) someone had cut the noise from our mics. I couldn't catch my breath. Cold fear washed through me, through the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. Something made me get to my feet, even though the tears that once belonged to Juliet were now mine. I don't dare to catch anyone's eye and focus on one thing: getting away.

No one tries to stop me and I just pretend they don't exist, taking the back entrance. I can't figure out if the moisture on my face is tears or rain.

**So...what did you think? Let me know!**

**Special thanks to: Kpfan72491, seddieluver, Geekquality, The Donut Eater, 888Marshmelow, wakawakababe, StrawberryCrush, Zikki 4 Evahz, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, carrne, popcorn1001, leodoglover, AshesToAshes, Anonymous, mortalimortality, luktheduke, I'mMusicalMe, InvaderZia, Julefor, PurpleJerk, alwayssmiling11, MeliLovely, SeddieShortBus, Lysha, InsanelyDramatic, SeDdIeLuVeR13, iMaximumSeddie, Romance and Musicals, wolflover, Mardelzor, Spottedwind19, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83, OnAMission, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, Owlluver97, xxbabygirl15xx, Sam's Tiger Ate Freddie, Wahoo Puncher, NinjahGirl, Fallere, singstar29, Fanfiction56, Riza Titanium, Plant Love Grow Peace, seddielova991, shugoi, Luvseddie101, Anonymous 2, KK-Needs-Rehab, kiyokoseddie, epareidolia, deedeexseddie, Katrina, and Jordan! You guys are awesome! :)**

**TO THE DONUT EATER: Haha, yep! :)**

**TO WAKAWAKABABE: Glad you liked is so much! :)**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAHZ: The next few chapters are going to be a tad confusing, but hang in there! xD**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: I've had a lot of this story planned from the beginning, but a lot of the details come to me as I write. :)**

**TO ANONYMOUS: More on the Freddie bit will be in next chapter. :)**

**TO LYSHA: Glad to hear you liked last chapter, hope this chapter was worth the wait! **

**TO INVADERZIA: Aww, thanks! I did see the iLMM promo and I'm glad that August is almost here, at least.**

**TO WOLFLOVER: More about what Freddie's up to in the next chapter. :)**

**TO OWLLUVER97: Haha, the new chapter is here!**

**TO WAHOO PUNCHER: I'll work on that after I get back from vacation. :)**

**TO RIZA TITANIUM: It will be fixed in the next few chapters, don't worry. xD**

**TO SEDDIELOVA991: Less then ten chapters are left. :)**

**TO LUVSEDDIE101: I don't have a twitter and I've been posting irregularly lately. I'll be on vacation for a while so it's going to be a little bit before a new chapter.**

**TO ANONYMOUS 2: Thanks, I guess...**

**TO KATRINA: A few more chapters and things will be happier. :)**

**TO JORDAN: Yep, Alexis is pretty awesome too.**

**TO KIYOKOSEDDIE: Thanks so much! Hope you liked this chapter. :)**

**So...that's about it! See you guys in a week or two, please remember to review! :D**


	78. I Hate You

**So, I've been trying to figure out how to split up this chapter for the last few days and I finally decided to put the last 8,000 words of iShakespeare out there at once. There will be an epilogue, probably out tomorrow or Tuesday. Enjoy! :)**

Carly POV 12:35PM Day 30

Wendy stares at me from across the table, ignoring her smoothie. I refuse to meet her eyes, stirring my drink and steeling myself for the difficult decision before me. Actually, "decision" isn't the word I'm looking for. I had no choice; that made it ten times as worse. The same old arguments chase each other around my head as I hear both sides for one last time.

_Sam and Freddie are hurting. You can fix it._

**Fix it? That's what this will do? How about damage them irreparably?**

_Isn't it a little late for that? This is your last chance to help them be happy._

**Stay out of it. I've told you that from the beginning.**

_One more try! How will you live with yourself if you don't even try?_

**You have tried...and failed. Last night was the end. Give them time to heal and life will go on.**

_You can be content with that? Just forget about your two best friends and live your life?_

**Well, what if it all goes wrong? What if he says yes? What then?**

_He won't say yes._

**How can you be sure? If you think Sam's screwed up now, just wait until Freddie says yes to you.**

I flinch, the imagery too much. The argument rages on.

_But he won't say yes!_

**And if he does say yes, you burn the last bridge that connects you to Sam. Even being strangers with her is better than being enemies.**

I would be Sam's enemy if Freddie said yes. She was on the edge, tottering. This would push her over.

"Okay. I'm ready." I whisper, staring deep into my smoothie. Wendy exhales, leaning back in her chair. I can feel her broad grin.

"Fantastic."

Freddie POV 11:11PM Day 30

Twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours of straight hacking, programming, and data entry. But I was done, that was all that mattered. My fingers shake from exhaustion and apprehension as I load the disk into the blank case. It takes me five minutes to decide that it should be left blank. She would figure out what it was.

With no recollection of how I'd gotten here, I stare at Sam's balcony. It was cold, but no rain. My breath puffs in front of me before dissolving into the night. I breathe into my numb hands before tentatively beginning the climb up the trellis. Why didn't I leave it at her doorstep? It was precious cargo, I told myself. Maybe I just wanted to see her and ask what it all meant. Nobody could send mixed signals better then Sam Puckett.

Gosh. I never imagined using "Sam Puckett" and "mixed signals" in the same sentence. She was blunt…and that was putting it kindly.

Still, I try not to think about it too much. That was one of my reasons for spending the last twenty-four hours straight working on the disc: to avoid thought. For one solid day, there was nothing but the click of keys and the light of my computer monitor. I hadn't had to analyze why Sam had left like that, why she had kissed me like it was desperately important…and I need to stop right there, before the sharp pain returned. I place the disc against the balcony door, hesitating. Would she even find it? Even if she found it, would she watch it? Goosebumps rise on my skin and I stand like a statue for the longest time.

Finally, I move towards the trellis, slowly lowering myself to the ground. The gravel pebbles on from her neighbor's driveway were really coming in handy. Lightly tossing a few between my palms, I return to the backyard and throw the first one. It hits loudly, much louder without the rain to distort the sound. A few seconds later, the balcony door flies open and I dive under the balcony. Footsteps above me, along with shallow, audible breaths. I pray they aren't mine.

After finding nothing, the footsteps retreat and the balcony door slides shut. Slowly, crawling out from my cover, I listen for any hint of movement. Silence. It isn't until I see that the disc is gone that I can breathe again.

_I wish you the best Sam and I'll love you, always._

At least I could say it to myself, even if I couldn't say it to her face.

Sam POV 12:08AM Day 31

The disc is remarkably plain, blue and white with a blank black case. I've already checked twice, but I check again anyway. Nope, no marks. I couldn't think of who could have left it, but my stomach twists uncomfortably at the obvious possibility.

Maybe it's proof of just how tired, just how disoriented I am that I actually put the disc in my computer and slide the tiny door closed. Immediately, a black screen pops up on the computer. A voice, one that I'd hoped never to hear again, begins hesitantly.

My hand jerks forward and I click the red X before he can say anything other than my name. It's still enough.

Suddenly there's no air and I can't think and I can't breathe and I've never known that my room could spin this fast. Almost mechanically, I remove the disk and take it gingerly—as if it's about to explode between my fingertips—and throw it into the trash. The unsatisfying thud isn't enough to calm me—it's like poison. All I could hear was him, all I could see was him, and my lungs refuse to function without his presence. Clutching around my desk, my fingers find the black case. I wind up, the wetness in my eyes obscuring my vision, and smash the disk against the adjacent wall with all the force I could muster.

My breathing slows gradually, my head spinning in circles. I almost go downstairs to see if Mom is home, even though I know she isn't.

Three days. Three days until Melanie comes home. I only had to survive three days.

Secretly, I was starting to doubt that I would make it.

Carly POV 11:28AM Day 31

So far, it had worked ridiculously well. Spencer had been easily persuaded to invite Freddie over for some much needed guy time and Mrs. Benson had practically pushed him out the door, saying something about meeting a social quota even if it was with an immature artist. Looking back, they _had _always been like brothers and it wasn't terribly surprising that Spencer should want to spend time with Freddie.

They were working on a new sculpture made of tic-tacs and toothpicks when I first sat at the bottom of the stairs. The task required so much concentration that it took Freddie a full ten minutes to notice me. When he did, he looked over me blankly.

"Carly."

"Hi, Freddie." I say softly, lifting my hand to wave but letting it fall before I could. Freddie returns to his work. I move to the couch and flip on the television. Spencer suggests that they add gumdrops; Freddie agrees. Time passes like this for about an hour before Spencer runs out of toothpicks. It wasn't surprising, considering I'd thrown almost all of ours away last night.

"I have to run to the store. You want to come, Freddie?" Spencer offers, grabbing his jacket. Freddie pales noticeably.

"No, thanks. Not with the tabloids and everything." I wince when he says that. Just yesterday, I had been in the checkout line and seen a tabloid featuring the stars of iCarly. Freddie must have seen it too.

"Okay. Be back in ten." Spencer waves half-heartedly before disappearing. I waste three of my precious minutes before I say anything.

"Can I talk to you for a minute?" I ask, turning off the television. Freddie continues to arrange gumdrops.

"I'd rather you left it alone." He replies, polite. I can't stand when he's so impersonal, but I did deserve it.

"Just one minute. Please. It's not an apology, but I do have to say something." This seems to surprise him and he turns to face me. I take this as permission and plunge forward. "So, you remember how we broke up a while back?" He nods, raising an eyebrow.

_Just burn the bridge, Carly. Get it over with._

"I know that it's horrible timing and you've been dealing with all this publicity about Sam-." He inhales sharply but I pretend not to notice. "-but I'd like to ask you something. Of course you don't have to answer me right away, just whenever you're ready but I sort of…"

_Do it!_

"Well, you see…" I trail off again.

_Rip it off, just like a band-aid._

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out again!" I manage to spit it out, but the aftertaste is something of betrayal with a hint of bitchiness. Please say no, please say no, please say no, please say no, please say no, please say no, please say no, please say no! Wait…why is this taking so long?

He appears dumbfounded, lost for words. Yep, I'd probably just alienated him forever, even more then I already had. I struggle for something to say, but he cuts in before I can come up with anything.

"Wait. You just asked me out after…after everything?" His voice is almost steely and I wither in self-loathing. _Come on, get it over with._

"I know, I know. It's just that I started to realize that I was jealous the more I saw you with all those other girls." I think I just vomited in my mouth. His brow furrows and I pray he tells me no without cussing me out.

"I don't know. I'll think about it."

"Oh, that's too bad-wait, what?" A cold sweat breaks out and I strain to hear his answer. Surely, surely I had misheard.

"I'll think about it." Freddie doesn't smile, but he doesn't frown either. No emotion whatsoever turns his features as he retreats to the hallway.

When Spencer comes back, he finds me riveted to the couch, unable to move.

Nothing made sense anymore. Up could not possibly be up. The sky was not blue. Freddie Benson hadn't turned me down, hadn't run off to declare his undying love to Sam.

Sam POV 12:12PM Day 31

Mom still wasn't home yet and I'd exhausted our food supply. Soon, I'd be forced to venture to _those _stores—the ones that shoved tabloids in your face right before you escaped. No, that definitely wasn't an option. Maybe I'd go to a soup kitchen or something; I still had my hobo costume. A hesitant tap on the front door, quickly followed by the doorbell, snaps me out of my thoughts. I didn't particularly care who it was, but it was probably better to tell them to buzz off before they knocked again.

"Now, look-." I begin, pulling open the door. Then I see who it is. "Oh."

"Hi, Sam." Pete says nervously, handing me a box of chocolates before rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "If you need space right now, I totally understand…but I'd like to try again."

Freddie POV 11:21PM Day 31

The sharp click of shoes snaps me out of whatever half-wakefulness I had managed to attain, but I don't stir. Trespassing seemed to be the least of my worries. A short woman enters my peripheral vision, but still I refuse to move.

"Are you and Miss Puckett speaking?" She asks softly, adjusting her glasses. I shake my head and she sighs. "Can I tell you a story?" I shrug and she takes a seat next to me.

"I was born to a housekeeper in Florence, Italy. The year does not matter. To this day, I have no knowledge of who my father was, but that doesn't matter either. My mother was a tired, strict woman, but also kind. She was employed by Antonio Esposito, an oil tycoon." She pauses, giving me a moment to absorb that. A moment to pick up on the last name. "Mr. Esposito had a son that—as hard as he tried—rejected every playmate that was sent to him. I was of close to the same age as his son and Mr. Esposito, being the kind man he was, looked after my mother enough to know about me. So, all in one day, I was plucked off the streets of Florence, scrubbed cleaner then I'd ever been, and thrust into the life of a princess. Mr. Esposito had enough money that he lived like a king and he expected all those around him to conduct themselves properly. No more street fights, mud patties, or anything remotely undignified for me."

There's a brief pause as Ms. Esposito thinks, smiling a tiny bit.

"It felt like the worst day of my life, the day that I met Mr. Esposito's son. Everything I'd ever known had been torn away from me and—to top it off—I was supposed to be befriending someone I'd never met."

"Did you like him? Were you friends right away?" I cut in, absorbed. Ms. Esposito laughs as if I'd told the funniest joke she'd ever heard.

"Why, we _hated_ each other!"

"Why was that?" I ask. Ms. Esposito sobers, thinking.

"Well, he was a brat—a spoiled brat at that. Later on, he told me that he thought that I was dirty, beneath him. Of course our first meeting was disastrous. The only reason he kept asking me back was my backbone; nobody stood up to him but me. Eventually, we became friends, though we never admitted it. Mr. Esposito grew to care for me almost as much as he cared for his own son. That's why I went to live with the Espositos when my mother died." I swallow hard, but she seems unaffected. It's an old tragedy to her.

"How old were you?"

"Eleven. The glamour and sophistication of a life I had merely glimpsed whenever I came to visit suddenly became mine. I was taken out of public school and shared tutors with Mr. Esposito's son." She stops, rubbing her hands together and staring off towards the stage. The theater was dark, silent but for us.

"If you don't mind me asking, what was his name? The son?" She obviously did mind, but she smiles to cover it up.

"Marco." She changes the subject. "I learned French, Latin, English, higher Italian, and bits of Spanish. There was also geography, calligraphy, social science, arithmetic, theater, piano, psychology, science, composition, and literature. Every subject imaginable. Marco was much more advanced then I was; he had a head start. Yet I devoured knowledge at such a rapid rate that soon we were nearly equal in most subjects and, as we grew up together, we grew closer. I'm sure you can guess what happened next." Ms. Esposito looks at me expectantly.

"You fell in love with him." I say, numb.

"Yes, I did. With me to keep him in check, he was actually bearable and—as much as I still hate to admit it—irresistible. It was just my luck that his father had other plans for him." It takes a second for that to sink in. "Marco was two years older than I was, just the right age to seduce the heiress to a rival oil empire. At the time they started seeing each other, I was days away from turning eighteen and completely miserable. I'd only recently come to terms with the fact that I loved him and it seemed so much easier to forget about it then to confront it. Besides, I had a way out. I was educated, intelligent, and driven to accomplish my dreams."

"So, what did you do?" I ask, dreading the answer. Ms. Esposito stares off into the distance.

"I left. It took me a week to get a forged passport and plan the details of my escape. I didn't doubt he would look for me when I was gone; I was his best friend. It was simply a matter of ensuring that he would be unable to find me. Within the span of a few days, I had purchased fifty plane tickets to different locations under my birth name, Lia Costa, and one plane ticket under the name you now know me by—Evelina Esposito." There's a long pause before she confesses. "I still don't know why I took his name." I sit in stunned silence before leaning forward in my chair.

"God…is that it? Is that the end?" I ask, burying my head in my hands.

"No, unfortunately." I peek out from behind my hands, looking at her. "I made it to the United States and was on the Broadway stage within a few years. But, once I was famous, it became much easier for him to find me."

"How did you know when he found you?" She sighs at my question, placing her hand on her cheek.

"My favorite flower in the world grows only on the hills surrounding his family's estate. I knew that he had found me when a bouquet of those particular flowers would arrive after a show. There was never a card, but the flowers were enough to tell me who it was. That's why I moved around the country so much: he kept finding me. After several years of this, the flowers finally came with a card." I wait, transfixed.

"What did the card say?" I prompt. She removes her glasses and rubs her eyes.

"It said 'turn around'. So I did."

"And there he was?"

"And there he was." It almost seems like it's going to have a happy ending. Almost. "You must understand…it had been ten years since I had seen him. I was sure that he was married to the heiress, she was a lovely girl. I didn't want to face him. I didn't want to explain why I'd taken his last name. The scariest thing was that I didn't have to say anything. He knew. He already knew. I could see it in his eyes. There is no excuse, but that I was terrified. So I left him there. He tried to follow me, but I pushed him away."

"Was that the end then?"

"No. Twenty years ago, a dark-haired man in a business suit met me after one of my performances. The man introduced himself as Mr. Esposito's business partner. It took me a moment to realize that it was Marco he was referring to, not his father. I told the man to leave me, to go back to his business partner. He said, 'but I can't do that, Miss Esposito. Mr. Esposito is dying.'"

"Just like that?"

"Yes. I flew to Florence right away and spent the last three months of his life with him. It was a time of reflection, but of few regrets. In the end, I told him that I loved him. He whispered that he loved me too. I remember asking what his wife would think of that. His response was 'What wife? It seems as if I've already given my name to someone.' A month later, he died. The old fool left me everything but control of his business; he didn't want to burden me with it and his partner had certainly earned it." A small smile forms on her lips and she manages to chuckle wearily. "I tried to act, but my heart wasn't in it anymore. So I moved to Seattle to start anew. To share my gift with others. To build magnificent theaters." She gestures at the building around us.

"Do you ever regret it?" I ask after a while.

"Sometimes, but not always. I lived my dream. I have known the lights of Broadway and faced the standing ovations of thousands. It certainly is not for everyone, but I find great satisfaction in my life. If I had chosen Marco, I would have been chained to the duties of my husband's career. Would it have made a difference if I knew he loved me all those years ago? Of course it would have. But I have lived my life. I cannot take anything back and I try not to dwell on such useless fantasies. I am content."

A difficult decision had just become impossible.

Sam POV 10:28AM Day 32

**Okay, so this is an excerpt from Chapter 31 and it sets up the next part of the story:**

"_What's in it for me?" I breathe into him, not realizing how close we were. Freddie pulls away slightly, searching my eyes._

"_Two whole hams." He offers, raising one of his eyebrows._

"_Four!" I cry in outrage, happy to be distracted from the effect he was having on me. Freddie shakes his head, smirking._

"_No chance, Puckett. I'll go three." He counters, tightening his grip on my hand._

"_Three whole hams and a pack of Bolivian bacon." I say, edging even closer to him. Freddie considers for a few seconds before smiling._

"_Deal. I know just where we can go to talk." _

I'd given up on answering the door, so I don't react when someone knocks on the door. In fact, I forget that someone had even knocked until I opened the door to go for a walk. A long, long walk. Except there was something waiting for me on the porch. The package was plain enough, the standard brown with no identifiable marks but my name and address. I circle it cautiously, unsure of its contents. Finally, carefully, I tear the plastic off and kneel beside the package, slowly opening the brown flaps.

To: Princess Puckett

From: Freddie Benson

I'm pretty sure I my heart stopped and my throat closed up, as I kneeled there, unmoving. It takes me several minutes before I finally reach out and remove the paper, exposing some cold plastic. Bolivian bacon, my favorite. It was growing harder and harder to convince myself that he didn't care about me. Maybe just as a friend, maybe more. God, I was pathetic.

Still, I brought the package inside and flicked on the stove. It took me five minutes to find a frying pan and put the first strip of bacon in.

_Tomorrow, _I remind myself. _Melanie will be here tomorrow._

I only had to last one more day, than we would figure something out. Melanie might be able to convince Mom to move and, at this point, starting fresh sounded awfully good. When the first piece of Bolivian bacon was done, I ate it immediately. Ignoring the slight burning sensation, I close my eyes and dream of the way things were before.

But that part of my life was over. I would not become my mother, I would move on. I hadn't realized exactly how easy it would be to give in, to force myself to forget by going out with countless other guys. Turning down Pete was one of the most difficult decisions I'd ever made, but it was a necessary one. I would not become my mother.

Maybe that was the secret: don't force yourself to forget, let time heal you. I eat a few other pieces of the bacon before turning off the stove and hiding the rest of the bacon in the back of the freezer. While I was in such a thoughtful and almost nostalgic mood, why not take a look at that disc? It didn't matter anyway; I would be out of here by the time senior year started, hopefully living closer to Melanie's boarding school with Mom. So why not?

To my relief, the disc was not shattered when I had thrown it in the trash can, even if the black case was in pieces. My hands don't shake as I put the disc in and I smile, just a little bit. Then he starts to talk.

"Sam, this video isn't about me. In fact, it has nothing to do with me. I just wanted you to know because you deserve to know. Please watch this all the way through." His eyes were red, his hair was tousled, and it looked like he hadn't slept recently. How had I missed that last time I saw him? Freddie's face disappears and I inhale shakily.

A green grid pops up on my computer and a familiar scene builds itself within a few seconds. It was the car crash. That was our car rolling up to the light. Suddenly, the video paused and zoomed out. A small arrow pointed towards the light my dad had seen—it was yellow. Then an arrow pointed at the other driver's traffic light—it was green. My breath comes fast and thick as I realize the implications of this.

Next, the camera swivels to the other driver's car. For the first time since the accident, I see the woman. She was in her twenties, dark-haired and olive-skinned. The video rewinds, setting the woman's car at the intersection before the accident. I squint, struggling to see what was in her hand—because something was in her hand. The camera zooms in, revealing a cell phone. A convulsion runs through me and I wrap my arms around my stomach, determined to hold myself together.

There was no doubt: _the woman was looking at her phone._ The footage resumes in slow motion, capturing the woman dropping her phone to the floor and her automatic reflex to reach for it—even if she was at another intersection. It takes her a few, agonizing seconds to find her phone before she looks up. That was all it took. The footage freezes before the collision, a mouse appearing and double clicking on our car. A window pops up, another video. The news anchor was in a trim power suit, unflinching and remarkably unemotional as she delivered the news that a recall had been order on side doors for our model car. Apparently, the doors had given out after years of use and were unsafe when directly hit by another vehicle. The date was two months after the accident.

The video closes itself and Freddie's face appears on the screen again, continuing with determination. He's not the only voice I hear.

_You deserve the best and don't you dare settle for anything else._

"Even if all of these things didn't go wrong, it wouldn't have been your fault, Sam. I'm sorry that it took me so long to figure out what happened to you, I could have helped you so much sooner."

_You need a nice guy, someone that opens doors and is basically the picture of chivalry. Even though you'll roll your eyes and pretend to ignore the little stuff, you're the type of girl that loves that kind of thing._

"It wasn't your fault, Sam. Not one bit. Rest your conscience, it needs a break." He manages to smile, but it doesn't reach his eyes and it fades quickly. "I'm sorry for what I said to you. I've never meant anything less in my life and I mean that. I know that we've always fought—that's kind of our thing—but that was out of line, for both of us."

_You need someone who's going to put up with all of your pranks and teasing, but he still needs to have a backbone and be able to stand his ground when you go too far._

"I take it all back; all the stupid things I said and all the stupid things I did. Maybe you'll never even see this." This statement seems to upset him more than anything. "I hope you do, though." He takes a deep breath. "I finally figured out how much you mean to me. You're my best friend, Sam."

_You need a guy that's also you're best friend, someone that you have so much fun hanging out with that you never want to leave his side._

"I'm sorry I threw all of that away because of a stupid reporter. Maybe, one day, I'll see you again and you can forgive me." He stares at his keyboard, downcast. "At least, that's the hope. I wouldn't blame you if you didn't."

_When_ _you find the right person, it should feel like the most reassuring thing in the world to touch them. Like coming home._

"Live your life, Sam. I know the tabloids are especially awful right now, but we just have to hang in there. They'll lose interest." He smiles, looking back at me for the longest time.

_Believe it or not, every person needs help at some point. They need someone to be there and to protect them._

"Most of all, don't forget that I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

The video flickered off, leaving me in the dark. I stand, my breath coming fast. There had to be something to punch around here. My fist curls into a ball and I let out a half-strangled cry as I drive it through the wall.

I had to find him. Now.

Freddie POV 2:11PM Day 31

"So, it wouldn't be fair to you. I can't go out with you, Carly. Not when I'm in love with someone else." I say, bracing myself. Carly nods, surprisingly calm.

"I understand." I wait. She doesn't say anything.

"It's nothing against you." I add. Carly nods again.

"I know." She takes a deep breath. "I'd like to apologize again. I'm sorry that things spiraled so out of control." The last few days seemed to be nothing but apologies.

"I miss being your friend, Carly."

"I miss being your friend too." She answers, smiling. The smile fades after a moment. "How's Sam?"

"I don't know."

As if on cue, the door flies open and Sam storms in. Her hands grip my arm tightly and she jerks me up off of the couch, spinning me around to face her. Seeing her this close again, after everything I'd put out in that disc, was an unnerving experience. I can't help but notice that she keeps one of her hands on my arm, staring me straight in the eye before speaking.

"First of all," Her voice quiets some. "thank you." She acts like she's been forced to take a particularly bad tasting medicine, but I'd never imagined that Sam would apologize to me of her own free will. Sam continues to stare at me, saying more in those two words then I'd thought was possible. It meant that, for the first time in years, she could breathe. It meant that she wouldn't have nightmares or flashbacks anymore. It meant that she liked herself again. It meant that she could finally lay him to rest and forgive herself. It meant that she didn't look in the mirror and see a killer anymore.

"You're welcome." I say, swallowing a lump in my throat. Sam's expression changes abruptly, dark clouds sliding across her face. Her hand slides from my arm, reaching up to push my chest.

"Shut up, Benson." She growls, glaring at me. For the first time, I notice that Carly had disappeared. "Second, you don't get to apologize! I don't accept! Stop being such a freaking Freddie Benson!" Sam holds the disc up, still glowering, and tosses it away. I flinch when it hits the ground.

"What does that even mean?" I ask, my voice rising to match her tone.

"Shut up, Benson. You do not, under any circumstance, get to _apologize_! I don't care what you did for me, _don't apologize!_" She turns away, pacing in front of the door. I watch her, trying to grasp what exactly she was trying to say.

"Am I allowed to talk yet?" I ask, more than a little annoyed.

"No!" Sam snaps, whirling around to point at me.

"So, you're getting mad at me because I apologized to you? That I apologized for all the horrible things I said but I didn't mean?" I say anyway, exasperated. No one did twisted logic like Sam. She lets out a strangled cry of frustration and shoots me a look that could curdle dairy.

"Why can't you just listen?" Sam jabs a finger into my chest but I hold my ground.

"Well, why can't I apologize?"

"Because it makes it impossible to really, truly hate you, Fredweird! At least leave me with that." Sam backs away, looking down. "Just tell me that you hate me." Sam Puckett was asking me to tell her that I hate her? "Please." And being polite?

"Why?" I ask, stepping closer to her. She takes another step back.

"Just say it."

"Not until you tell me why."

"Say it, Fredbag."

I shake my head, taking another step forward.

"Dude." A warning; I step forward.

"Why do you want me to tell you that I hate you?"

"Forget it." Sam spits out, opening the front door and slamming it behind her. I follow without hesitation: this was it. Now or never. I recognized a last chance when I saw it.

"Sam. Sam, wait up!" I hurry after her and almost slip on Lewbert's recently mopped floors. We both ignore Lewbert's screeches. "Puckett!" Sam continues to walk, staring straight ahead as she exits the lobby. "I need to talk to you." I huff, out of breath. Her walking pace was such that I had to jog to keep up. Sam doesn't respond, hanging a left and continuing down the sidewalk. "I can't tell you that I hate you because I don't hate you, not really."

"Bullshit, Benson." Sam snarls, still refusing to meet my eyes.

"I did like our first kiss." This earns a sideways glance of shock, but her pace doesn't slow. "I'm glad you were my first kiss, Sam."

"One more word and I'll mess you up so bad that no girl will ever want to kiss you again." She sounds unnerved, terrified. This was the last place she wanted to go. Strangers brush past us, a few doing double takes, but most ignore us and continue on their way.

"Did you know Carly asked me out a few days ago?" She inhales unevenly, focusing on the sidewalk ahead. "I turned her down." I say softly, coming to a stop as Sam slowed.

"You…you turned her down?" She asks, turning to face me. Her expression was unreadable.

"Yes." Sam pulls her hand back, slapping me hard across the face.

"You _idiot_! After all those years, you had Carly right where you wanted her!" She grabs my arms, shaking me. "You could have had everything you ever wanted!" Sam huffs, rolling her eyes. "Benson, you're a whole lot of things, but one of them isn't stupid. Go back and get her while you can." My throat tightens and I'm unable to speak. For the first time, I was sure. I was sure that—for some inexplicable reason—Sam Puckett had fallen in love with me. She gives me a shove in the right direction, motioning for me to go.

"I can't." I finally say, resisting her. "I can't, Sam. Not when I'm in love with someone else." Sam freezes, slowly raising her eyes to meet mine. "I love you, Sam." A huge weight melts off of my chest. A weight that I'd been carrying for far longer then I'd realized. Sam's mouth opens a few times before closing again, her eyes wide. After an agonizing minute, she turns on her heel and strides away. I follow, matching her quickening pace. "Sam…"

"You're screwed up, Benson." She shakes her head. "That's not funny." I catch her arm, pulling her off the sidewalk and into a grassy area. She resists, driving her elbow into my stomach. Somehow I manage to keep hold of her arm.

"Not…kidding…Sam." I gasp out, clutching my stomach with one arm. She tugs her arm away. I notice her hands are shaking. "I mean it." Sam looks away, shaking her head. "Sam." I say softly. She won't meet my eyes.

"You should be with Carly." She nods her head, as if she's trying to convince herself. "You were always meant to be with Carly."

Then I said one of the stupidest things in my entire life.

"She's my Rosaline, Sam." It was desperate, a careless mistake. Sam's head snaps up and she grabs the collar of my shirt, slamming me into the concrete wall behind me. I stifle a groan. I would be lucky if I made it out of this in one piece.

"So what does that make me, Benson? Juliet?" We'd both started to feel an unsaid, shared contempt for Romeo and Juliet as we became them for the play: their follies, their mistakes, their "love" at first sight…the list went on. I struggle to breathe and my heart feels like it's going a million miles an hour.

"No. Better. You're better. We're better." Sam's hands drop from my collar as if I'm on fire.

"There is no 'we'!" Her voice cracks on the most important word in the sentence. A silence ensues, both of us breathing heavily as we wait for the other to make a move.

_Would it have made a difference if I knew he loved me all those years ago? Of course it would have. But I have lived my life. I cannot take anything back and I try not to dwell on such useless fantasies. I am content._

Did I just want to be content?

We were far away, too far away. So I move closer, Sam remains still. Maybe she was hoping from another miracle from me and that's why she wasn't retreating. Sometimes actions could do what words could not.

I reach out hesitantly, watching. Sam's expression was odd, almost pleading: this was her last chance too. My hand slides around her waist, pulling her close. I listen as her heartbeat accelerates with mine, laughing quietly.

"You know that I still hate you, right?" Sam asks, reaching up to flick my forehead. There were moments when I would look back on this, I knew, as the moment that I truly understood what "hate" meant when I was with Sam. It meant that, at times, I was going to be her least favorite person on Earth and she was going to be my least favorite person on Earth. We were two of the most volatile opposites: an abrasive girl with violent tendencies and a tech nerd with an overprotective mother, so there would be arguments. Yet there would always be an unshakeable understanding between us, now that we had so carefully established it, usually without realizing what we were doing. It didn't matter if, at times, she was my least favorite person on Earth; she would always be my favorite person on Earth, no matter how upset I was with her.

"I hate you." I murmur, shaking my head in wonderment. She laughs, nodding in relief. I finally understood.

Her laugher dies into a soft smile, watching recognition light my features. I feel buoyant, impossibly light. I had done it. She knows that I love her, even if it took me a while to come around.

"I hate you." I repeat, smiling so hard that my cheeks hurt.

She kissed me fiercely and, for a moment, everything was as it should be.

Sam POV 11:28AM Day 34

"Are you sure about this?" He asks, poising his hand just over her door. I nod once, nervously looking over my shoulder for Ms. Benson. Let's just say that she'd been _adjusting _to the prospect that Freddie and I were seeing each other. Freddie knocks once, shuffling from foot to foot as we wait. Spencer answers a minute later, breaking into a huge grin when he sees us.

"Hey, guys. Come on in." He ushers us in, pointing at the giant hummingbird sculpture. "I knew you two would come through for me."

"So we tell Carly that we forgive her and she'll let you keep the sculpture?" I ask, moving forward and studying the pictures.

"Yep. She says that it depresses her to have it around all the time, but I'm sure she'll be fine with it if you give her some peace of mind. I can't thank you guys enough." Spencer half-hugs us both before disappearing upstairs to get Carly. Freddie lingers behind me, taking my hand when he notices a picture of the two of us when we were twelve. Ironically enough, I had him in a headlock and he looked like he was about to pass out. I resist the urge to pinch his hand, merely giving him a pointed look. He drops my hand quickly, watching me warily. He knew that I didn't do hand holding. I turn my attention back to the sculpture, catching sight of a picture that brings an easy smile to my lips.

"_Do you want to break something else?" Carly asks our guest, her usual bubbly self._

_"Like Freddie's arm? Freddie's leg? Freddie's face?" I suggest, gesturing at the boy behind the camera._

_"Aww, Sam, if you're in love with me, just say so!" Freddie says, patronizing._

_"Nyeeaahh!"_

"_Nyeeaahh!"_

I continue to look at the picture, reaching behind me and finding his hand easily. Warmth fills me once again and—for once—I embrace it wholeheartedly.

"Hey, guys." Carly says, descending down the stairs slowly. "What are you doing here?" We both turn to face her, taking in her haggard appearance. She takes in something completely different. "And why are you holding hands?" Her eyes widen, her mouth opening slightly.

"We're kind of…together." Freddie says, choosing his words carefully. I watch Carly carefully, braced from everything to devastation to disappointment.

"Like boyfriend and girlfriend together?" She asks, looking between us. My features harden.

"No. Sam doesn't like us to be called that." Freddie replies before I can even open my mouth.

"I don't understand." She tilts her head quizzically. It was a little embarrassing why I was so against those two particular words. So embarrassing that I hadn't even explained my aversion to Freddie yet. I wasn't a sentimental girl, but I was a logical one. Why should I call Freddie the same thing I'd called two boys before him when we were so much more? The words simply didn't cover what we had and I wasn't going to risk degrading our relationship to that. This wasn't the ideal time to explain this to Carly, so I shrug.

"We're together though." I can't hold back a small smile.

"Oh my god, FINALLY!" Carly says, some of her old self coming through. Freddie and I trade looks of confusion.

"I'm sorry?" Freddie asks, raising an eyebrow. Carly had asked him out only a few days ago.

"….oh." Carly whispers, realizing her mistake. She moves towards the couch, sitting down before continuing. "I haven't been completely honest with you two. I've never wanted anything but for you two to be happy and you were both so miserable…." She trails off.

"Carly, what did you do?" I ask, releasing Freddie's hand and sitting next to her.

"I did a lot of things. Things I regret." Carly admits, her eyes watering. "I guess it all started when I went to Principal Franklin."

"You what?" Freddie asks, sitting on the coffee table.

"I knew that you two were crushing on each other and I knew that you wouldn't believe me if I told you. You had to figure it out for yourselves. So, I went to Principal Franklin and I told him that was why Sam was bullying more kids recently. She was hurting." Wow, you could feel the awkward. Freddie was looking respectfully away, focusing on Carly. We hadn't bothered to admit just how long we'd liked each other and, as of right now, I appeared to be winning. Or losing, depending on how you looked at it. "You too, Freddie. Whenever just the two of us were hanging out, you would sometimes zone out on me, thinking about somebody else." Okay, so maybe we were even. I turn my eyes back to Carly. "So I went to Principal Franklin and I persuaded him to cast you both as Romeo and Juliet."

Air rushes out of my lungs and Freddie blinks, turning his eyes to me. Only one thing passes between us: _I didn't see that one coming._

"Please say something." Carly's eyes dart between us, conscious of our communication but unable to make anything of it. "Something out loud."

"You shouldn't have done that, Carly. How could you be sure that you knew what was best for us?" Freddie asks, his eyes darting back to me when he said 'us'.

"Well…I was your best friend." Carly finally replies, struggling with the 'was'.

"Couldn't you have said something to us? Wouldn't that have made it so much easier?" I ask, shaking my head.

"I did," Her eyes find Freddie. "-to some." Freddie's face, already slightly red, turns the color of a ripe tomato. I raise my eyebrows, waiting.

"It was a while ago." He admits. "She asked me how long I'd liked you and I lied to her."

"Think about it, Sam. I didn't even bother coming to you because I knew you wouldn't admit anything." Carly says, coming to Freddie's defense. That was true. If Carly had told me that Freddie liked me or asked me how long I'd liked Freddie, I would have denied everything.

"Okay." I finally say, still staring at Freddie. The color in his face faded, closer to the shade it was supposed to be.

"There's more." Carly sighs, breaking the silence. We slowly turn to look at her. "Someone else was even more dedicated then I was to getting you two together. Eight other people, actually."

Carly proceeded to tell us about Ridgeway's semi-secret gossip girls, explaining how she had come to join forces with them and what they had done from there. I even knew some of the girls that had so carefully interfered with my life for the last month. There were lots of fun twists and turns and I couldn't wait to meet the fantastic people that had made it all possible. That, ladies and gentlemen, is sarcasm, just in case you missed it.

When she finally finishes, her cheeks were wet and her breath came in gasps and anyone could tell that she regretted everything. Carly was probably the nicest person I'd ever known and this was so unlike her, so against her nature that it was eating her up inside. The part of me that loved Carly like a sister urged me to forgive her—after all, everything had turned out the best possible way and I was already on a roll with sisterly forgiveness. Melanie had been home a few days ago and was adjusting well to our rediscovered connection. Her only complaint was that sometimes I was just too happy…and this was coming from little Ms. Sunshine herself.

"Sam." Freddie calls softly. He was physically incapable of holding grudges, so he would want to forgive Carly right away. Yet it still didn't seem quite even. I was perfectly willing to forgive Carly, Pete, and even the stupid gossip girls; it just seemed like they were getting off a little too easily. A mischievous glint appeared in my eyes and, to my intense surprise, I found the same glint in Freddie's eyes. Maybe he could hold a little bit of a grudge.

"Carly, is there any way you can get Pete and the other girls here next Saturday night?" I ask, turning to look at Carly.

"I'm sure I can…" She trails off, catching my expression. "Oh god." I hug Carly tightly, accepting her apology, but I would still be afraid of me if I were in her position too. Peering over Carly's shoulder, I catch Freddie's sly grin. As much as it kills me to admit it, it's one of the sexiest things I've ever seen.

"You know what? I gotta go, Carls." I pull away, meeting Freddie at the door without a backwards glance.

"Sam. Sam, wait! What are you two planning?" Freddie closes the door on Carly's protests, taking my hand without hesitation and leading me down the hallway. I let it go, just this once…at least that was what I told myself.

"So." He says, pressing the button for the elevator.

"So." I turn to face him. He raises his eyebrows and I tighten my grip on his hand. The elevator arrives, a sharp ding prompting us to step inside.

"So, where to from here?" He asks, flexing his fingers. I smirk, the mischievous glint returning.

"In the mood for some revenge?" Freddie considers this for a minute, ignoring Lewbert's cries (NO HAND HOLDING IN MY LOBBY!) and stepping outside into the brisk air.

"Yes, yes I am. I think you're rubbing off on me." He stops in the parking lot, matching my smirk.

"I would hope so, since I'm taking a serious dose of nerd poisoning." Freddie feigns hurt, bringing one of his hands to his heart.

"Absolutely vicious." He says, chuckling. I roll my eyes, putting my hand on his shoulder.

"Wuss." Freddie laughs again, releasing our intertwined fingers and moving his hand to my waist. It feels good, healthy and—underneath it all—unbearably hot. He leans down, pulling me even closer as his lips crash into mine.

And everything was as it should be.

Freddie POV 8:00PM Day 34

"Hey all you iCarly fans! I know it's been a while since we've checked in with you, but we're back in business now with my favorite episode EVER coming up!" Sam greets the fixed camera, pressing the cheer button on her blue remote.

"I'm Freddie!" I say, giving a thumbs up to the camera.

"I'm Sam!" Sam throws an arm around my shoulder, even though she'd given me specific instructions not to reveal our relationship until she said so. Carly reluctantly edges into the shot, downcast.

"And I'm Carly." She says weakly, waving to the camera. Sam slides her arm off of my shoulder, moving over to Carly.

"As you may have noticed, Carly here is in a bikini." Sam smiles wickedly, turning to Carly.

"Yes, I am." Carly says stiffly. In her defense, she was about to be embarrassed out of her mind. I move behind the laptop cart, prepping the graphics and switching to the camera in my hand. Sam calls out Pete and the eight gossip girls, all in bikinis.

"As you also may have noticed, all of these _willing_ volunteers are also in bikinis." Sam says motioning up and down the line. Pete looked like he wanted to die, as did about half of the other gossip girls. The remaining gossip girls were smiling and blowing kisses to the camera. I guess those ones had missed the first segment that we'd done of this so long ago. "Which can only mean one thing: BIKINI DOG FOOD FIGHT TOURNAMENT!" Sam presses her applause button as the graphics explode colorfully across the screen. "Now you, the viewers, will have two minutes to vote on who you want to go against each other in round one!" Sam went down the line, saying each person's name and laughing uncontrollably. I could barely hold the camera straight, also laughing like I hadn't laughed in a long time. As we wait for the voting to finish, Gibby (shirtless for no reason) and Sam drag out five plastic tubs. There were supposed to be three rounds, five bikini dog food fights occurring simultaneously each round.

"Delicious." Gibby licks his lips, returning the lid to the dog food can and continuing to dump more dog food into buckets. I shake my head, turning my attention to the finished vote tally. Switching to the mounted camera, I step out to announce the results. Sam stands behind me, looking over my shoulder and smiling like there was no tomorrow.

The gossip girls were good sports, as was Pete, and they ended the iCarly with smiles. Once they left, the four of us stayed in the iCarly loft and talked about anything and everything. The night ended with all four of us laughing, posing for a picture that we would never forget.

And everything was as it should be.

**That's it. I hope you've enjoyed iShakespeare as much as I have and that you'll check back for the epilogue. Thank you so much for your support. :)**

**Special thanks: Spottedwind19, Kpfan72491, HugsandBugsSmileyface, Mike Kinkaid, alwayssmiling11, KK-Needs-Rehab, Geekquality, Elise Suzanne, I'mMusicalMe, Plant Love Grow Peace, kiyokoseddie, 888Marshmelow, Mike2101, luktheduke, london101, PurpleJerk, leodoglover, AshesToAshes, fuuuuuuuuuuuuh, NinjahGirl, Juju-the-Seddie-Fan, Danielle, Luvseddie101, SeDdIeLuVeR13, seddieluver, ofirhendel, Zikki 4 Evahz, SeddieShortBus, Romance and Musicals, g, xxprincessadelmasoquismoxx, Julefor, popcorn1001, 8D SerenityCrystal Tear 83, wakawakababe, LyshaLuvsSeddie, AnnaMarieED-SaitoNatsubi, carrne, Julietta, LaUr3n-ShAuNy, Hannah, KittiesOnTheDarkSide, babe you wishD, singstar29, Aydree, UnderxGravity, ChaosKeks, Jordan, akg 517, xBeckyBooHerex, Sam's Tiger Ate Freddie, Hypnotic Nightmare, moonshinekiss, FallenSnowman, Applpie024, totalqt16, notellin, KMusicLoverD, chloecrocker, Ashlee Seddie, prettykitty374, theofficialseddiefan, Daniella's Turn, iMaximumSeddie, nickelodeonfanfic, Londongirl101, ShortLittlePixie, Seddielover, adore202, TheGrapeTyphlosion, and broizzlesmoke323!**

**TO KIYOKOSEDDIE: I would love to write a book! I'm working with a few ideas right now. :)**

**TO LONDON101: Haha, thanks! Hope this lived up to the wait. :)**

**TO ASHES TO ASHES: I like how you dropped 'fortnight' in there lol. Here's the new chapter!**

**TO FUUUUUUUUUUUUH: It has been more then two weeks, but I hope this chapter lived up to the wait. :)**

**TO JUJU-THE-SEDDIE-FAN: Glad you liked last chapter and I hope you enjoyed the happier Seddier scenes in this chapter. :)**

**TO DANIELLE: Thanks! It's good to be back though. :)**

**TO ZIKKI 4 EVAHZ: Thanks so much! Glad you liked last chapter. I'm very happy that Sam and Freddie are on speaking terms as well. :)**

**TO G: Vacation was fun, but I'm happy to be back. :)**

**TO WAKAWAKABABE: I love the rain! No Wendy slaps, but there was some payback. :)**

**TO JULIETTA: Aww, thanks! I hope you liked this chapter. :)**

**TO HANNAH: Smiling is kind of awesome and it makes me happy. :) btw, I have an evil cousin too! **

**TO BABE YOU WISHD: There will be an epilogue after this, up tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. Thanks! :)**

**TO AYDREE: Wow, thank you so much! I've never heard of luvseddie101's twitter, but I'll be checking it out now. I hope you liked this final chapter. :)**

**TO JORDAN: I went to visit Canada and Alaska and everyone had a lot of fun. I'm privileged enough to have traveled to quite a few places and I'm grateful for that every day. :)**

**TO HYPNOTIC NIGHTMARE: Haha, thanks! The pain is over now. :) **

**TO KATRINA: Haha, sorry it took so long for the update!**

**TO NOTELLIN: Nope, this isn't fake. Hope you liked the last chapter! :)**

**TO KMUSICLOVERD: Thank you, I appreciate the feedback! :) **

**TO SEDDIELOVER: Epilogue up in a few days!**

**So...that's it. The epilogue will be up soon, probably within the next two days. Thank you all for your amazing support and for allowing me to become a better writer with your feedback. Love ya guys! :D**


	79. Epilogue

EIGHT YEARS LATER

Carly POV 1:28PM Age 25

I slowly open the door to the apartment that I used to share with Spencer before I had left for college seven years ago, smiling when a wave of nostalgia hits me. Our dad had come out of service six years ago and, after living with Spencer for a month, had decided to move to another building a few miles away. My eyes lock on random objects around the room, remembering a happy memory for each one. Spencer's old robot made of soda bottles, his red eyes flashing every so often. The couch that had been Sam's home away from home for most of high school. The kitchen counter that Spencer had replaced at the same time that we had been kidnapped by that crazy chick, Nora. Spencer's sculpture of Sam's favorite soufflé dish from senior year. Of course, a few things were different. A new flat screen TV, state of the art computer, and a few crazy sculptures that I hadn't seen before. But it still felt like home. I laugh at the thought, pulling my rolling suitcases in and closing the door. Spencer had told me over the phone that he was going to be out with this girl he met at the art museum until late, so I settle on the couch and flick on the TV. Girly Cow, the now extinct cartoon of my teenage years, was running a marathon. Yet my favorite show fails to hold my attention and my thoughts drift to my two best friends.

Senior year had been interesting to say the least. Mrs. Benson and Mrs. Puckett had eventually met and, surprisingly, liked each other a lot. Pam Puckett and Marissa Benson often went to joint therapy sessions and became more balanced, like they were trading small parts of themselves with the other. They still had lunch together at least once a week and spoke often—they had grudgingly accepted Sam and Freddie's relationship after a year or two when they realized that it made their children happy. Sam had filled her schedule with easy classes, including home etc. Somewhere along the way, she discovered that she enjoyed cooking food almost as much as she loved eating it. Freddie had easily gotten into MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts for computer science. Sam and Freddie got an apartment in Boston, only three miles from Cambridge. Sam attended a culinary school in Boston before working her way up to sous chef in Boston's best restaurant while Freddie did a few internships with Facebook and Google before graduating and working as a designer for computer spreads and applications. I had gone to the University of Chicago for political science and had worked internships with a few campaigns before I was finally picked to lead the Illinois division of the next presidential campaign. My boyfriend, a really awesome guy named Cory, also had gone to the University of Chicago, but for economics. We shared an apartment in a suburb just outside of Chicago. Gibby had gone to Seattle community college and had graduated with a degree in theater. Ms. Esposito had inspired him to be an actor and he was a great one, surprisingly. Before long he had visited both Chicago and Boston on a nationwide tour of _Wicked_, a musical based on what really happened before and during the Wizard of Oz. Gibby played the lion and it suited him well; he loved his work. Gibby was supposed to fly into Seattle tomorrow for our little reunion. We'd made a pact, eight years ago, that we would meet in Seattle by tomorrow and hang out for an entire week.

Sam and Freddie had back in Seattle for a week already, doing who knows what. That's when I hear the screams.

"COME HERE, BENSON!" Sam yells furiously, her tone deadly. I jump up from the couch, listening to the pounding footsteps suddenly coming from the hallway outside.

"YOU SHOULD AT LEAST THINK ABOUT IT SAM!" Freddie's screams of terror are much closer than Sam's roars and I realize that Sam must be chasing him. The door to the apartment bursts open and Freddie skids in, falling to the floor. He immediately jumps to his feet and slams his body against the door, chaining it shut. Freddie quickly braces himself against the door and pulls ragged breaths like he's just run a marathon. He seizes the handle in a white-knuckle grip, clutching it tightly so no one can open the door.

"Freddie, what happened?" I ask, panicking. He must not have noticed me before because he jumps at the sound of my voice but quickly finds me.

"Oh, hey-." He starts, interrupted when the door is almost pushed out of its frame. Freddie stumbles away from the door for a brief second before throwing himself against the door again.

"OPEN THE DOOR!" Sam demands, ramming her body against the other side of the door again. Freddie manages to hold his ground this time, but only barely.

"HELP ME!" Freddie screams at me, still bracing himself against the door.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOOR BEFORE I SHOVE THIS RING UP YOUR-." Sam roars, her undoubtedly rude threat interrupted by Freddie.

"JUST THINK ABOUT IT, SAM!" He yells back, literally shaking in terror. It takes me a few seconds to realize what Sam had said.

"Wait, ring?" Freddie looks up and dread of the worst kind fills me. Had she said no? "OH MY GOD, DID YOU PROPOSE TO SAM?" I scream, wondering if it could possibly true. Freddie leans forward off of the door, opening his mouth to respond. Sam, now that Freddie has finally released the doorknob, shoves the door open hard enough to break the chain. Before Freddie can react, Sam catches him in a flying tackle. They both hit the ground hard, Sam rolling off of him on impact. Freddie struggles to get away, crawling forward on his stomach. Sam, recovered from the force of the tackle, grabs his feet and flips him onto his back. She drops his feet, jumping on top of him and landing squarely on his chest. Freddie huffs as all of the wind is knocked out of him, giving Sam the opportunity to straddle his chest and force his hands to the ground on either side of his head. Still dreading the answer, I try again.

"DID FREDDIE PROPOSE?" I demand, relieved when Sam looks over her shoulder at me to answer.

"Oh, hey Carls." She says casually, like nothing was happening. "Yep, Fredweird here popped the question on the fire escape." She rolls her eyes at me before turning her gaze on Freddie again. "Such a sap."

"Trying..to..be…romantic." Freddie huffs, still trying to get his breath back.

"YOU SAID NO?" I scream, the full impact of my dread hitting me. Sam releases Freddie's arms, sliding into his lap when he sits up to stare at me. Sam pivots her whole torso to look at me. They both look confused beyond belief.

"Huh?" Sam asks, tilting her head to the side.

"Did. You. Say. No." I repeat, moving closer, terrified.

"No. Of course I didn't say no. Geez Carly. We've only known for eight years." Sam finally replies, laughing. That boggled me.

"Eight years. Freddie proposed eight years ago and _now_ you're telling me?" Had Freddie proposed before senior year started? Why hadn't they told me?

"_What?_ NO, Carly. I've known for eight years but he didn't propose until a few minutes ago." Sam shakes her head, turning in Freddie's lap to roll her eyes at him. "Such a _sap_."

"Hey! That was a good freaking proposal!" Freddie defends himself, exasperated. Sam thinks for a moment, resting her chin on her hand.

"I'd give it a five out of ten." Freddie pushes her off of his lap, rolling his eyes. Sam sticks her tongue out at him.

"Hello? Still here you two. What do you mean that you knew for eight years?" I ask, still confused. Sam shrugs, looking back at Freddie.

"I've known he was going to propose since that summer before senior year." She says it like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Didn't you know?"

"Of course I didn't know, Sam! How have you possibly known for so long?" Sam looks back at Freddie again, asking for help.

"We just knew, Carly." He shrugs, looking at Sam for a long time before continuing. "I love her and she loves me." His easy smile becomes a smirk. "I mean who could resist my boyish charms and amazingly sexy tech talk?" Sam's eyes narrow and she twists her back to me, pushing Freddie to the ground again. Hard. There's a brief struggle as Freddie half-heartedly fights for control of his arms, letting Sam pin them on either side of his head. She moves up to straddle his chest again.

"Yeah, right Benson. That's what brings the girls running." Sam teases playfully. Suddenly her body tenses and I can feel the anger radiating off of her. "AND DON'T TRY TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT! THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THAT **MELANIE** IS GOING TO BE OUR WEDDING PLANNER!" Sam yells, leaning down so that she's mere inches from Freddie's face.

"YOU KNOW HOW MUCH SHE'S BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO IT AND SHE'S VERY GOOD AT WHAT SHE DOES!" Freddie argues, Sam's dominant position lessening the force behind his words.

"SHE'S INSANE! DID YOU SEE TAYLOR SWIFT'S WEDDING? THAT WAS A RIDICULOUS AMOUNT OF FLUFF! I MIGHT BARF ON MY WAY UP THE AISLE!" Sam shouts back.

"You're already talking wedding planners?" I ask, still exasperated that they were arguing with each other so soon. They certainly seemed happy, but they just couldn't stop arguing. I can't see Sam's face, but she's probably glaring daggers more effectively than Freddie is.

"We may have been a few conversations about all of this, since we've known for so long." Sam explains, still trying to stare down Freddie. Freddie's expression softens at her words, replaced with a kind of wondering admiration that probably said something along the lines of: _How did I get this lucky?_ When Sam speaks again, her tone is noticeably calmer and almost a whisper. "There wasn't much to figure out. Freddifer here would pick some cheesy place to propose and I would say yes." She laughs, jabbing Freddie's chest. He groans, faking a grimace of pain. "We gotta go with the Gibster as the best man and you're the maid of honor, of course."

"If it's okay with Spencer, Sam wants him to walk her up the aisle." He says, never looking past Sam. Tears choke the back of my throat. It was all really happening.

"I'm sure he'd be honored." I reply, teary-eyed. Sam pulls away from Freddie and turns to face me, a bright smile on her face.

"So, you'll be my maid of honor?" She asks, raising one of her eyebrows. I think about it for half a second before answering.

"Are you kidding?" I scream shrilly and run to her, hugging her tightly while jumping up and down. "This is going to be so much fun!" I give another fan girlish scream and jump even higher.

"Um..ow." Freddie says, getting to his feet and rubbing his ears. Sam pulls away from me and slaps his arm.

"Don't be such a wimp, Fredwad." Sam scolds him, rolling her eyes. Freddie seems to be considering something carefully now, rubbing his arm absently.

"Ok, Puckett, how 'bout this? I'll give you ham as the main dish at the reception IF you let Melanie plan the wedding." Freddie looks down at Sam hopefully and her eyes narrow, thinking.

"Ham as the main dish AND I get to pick where we go on the honeymoon. Then Melanie can plan it." Sam counters, pressing herself against Freddie. He considers her for a second before smiling.

"Deal." Sam smiles back and pulls him down into a kiss. I avert my eyes, collapsing on the couch and shaking my head. I had always wondered about the possibility of Sam and Freddie getting married, growing surer every time I saw them together that it would happen. They had managed to find the perfect balance between bickering best friends and the kind of deep love that I dreamed I could find one day. Freddie's voice pulls me out of my thoughts and I focus on the two. Sam's head is resting against Freddie's chest, her eyes closed in contentment, and her arms wrapped around him tightly. Freddie's arms are around her waist, his gaze resting on the top of her head.

"Were you really that sure about saying yes?" He asks curiously, obviously talking about their engagement. Sam pulls away and stares up at him, a soft smirk playing across her face.

"Were you expecting a no?" She teases, the phrase meaning more to Freddie than to me. He laughs, pulling her into kiss and I look away again, smiling. I watch TV for a minute, waiting until one of them speaks again.

"Forever, right?" Sam whispers, hugging Freddie tightly. He smiles and kisses her forehead.

"Forever." He agrees. As soon as I see Sam's smirk, I know that something's about to happen.

"Agh!" Freddie cries in pain, backing away from Sam. Sam laughs hysterically at his expression, resting her hands on her knees as she doubles over in a near spastic fit. Freddie shakes his head, looking at Sam in annoyance. "A wedgie? What are you, ten?" Sam's laughs fade to chuckles, pulling Freddie into another kiss, shorter this time.

"Aww, come on Benson, look at the bright side. You will never, ever, be bored." She laughs again but this time Freddie joins in, reaching out to tuck one of her blond curls behind her ear.

"I wouldn't want it any other way."

And everything was as it should be.

**There's the official ending to iShakespeare. Thank you again for all of your amazing support, I couldn't have done it without you. It's been a pleasure writing for you. :)**

**-KWilson**


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